RONALD HAYES PEARSON

Ronald Hayes Pearson was a metalsmith for nearly 50 years. His many honors include the 1996 Gold Medal Award from the American Craft Council. His work is included in major collections at the Smithsonian Institute, the American Craft Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and many other noted museums. Nominated for the National Treasure Award administered by the University of North Carolina, Pearson was one of five finalists for that honor. In 1987, he received an honorary doctorate from the Portland School of Art (now the Maine College of Art).

Although best known for his jewelry, Pearson made significant contributions to the areas of sculpture, ecclesiastical design, teaching, and to organizations that support craft. Chief among such organizations was Deer Isle's Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, where he taught and served on the board of trustees for many years. Pearson studied at the University of Wisconsin and the School for American Craftsmen at Alfred University. For many years, he lived in Rochester, New York, where he and three other craft artists opened Shop One, the first artist-owned craft gallery in the country. He moved to Deer Isle, Maine in 1971.

All of the work Ron Pearson produced possesses the same magical motion and concept of space. As he once wrote, “The hammer is our tool. In skilled hands, it will shape malleable metal into simple or complex fluid forms. There seem to be no end to what one can achieve and it is the change to explore new terrain that makes this work so exciting.” Respected universally, Ron Pearson is recognized not only for his valuable contributions to American metalsmithing, but also for his quiet conviction, sensitivity, and unending commitment to excellence.