Meet the Yardies

The Founders

Nick Bauta

Nick Bauta is an artist and designer who crafts leather jewelry and clothes, urban furniture, and metal sculpture. He f... read more →

Clay Rockefeller

Clay Rockefeller is an artist/entrepreneur who values volunteerism and community. His personal experiences and his wor... read more →

The Staff

Howie Sneider Executive Director

Howie was born in Syracuse, NY. His childhood exploration of the forests and abandoned quarries of central New York enco... read more →

Chris Dalpe Communications and Events Manager

Chris Dalpe is a graphic designer and illustrator who lives in Providence, Rhode Island. Originally from a small farm to... read more →

Tim Ferland Public Projects Director

Tim Ferland has worked as a fabricator & project manager for multiple highly renowned artists for over 10 years ... read more →

Ben Filchak Studio Manager

Ben Filchak was born in a small town in northwestern CT. Early in life, Ben found his passion for the arts and became ob... read more →

Michelle Raccone Studio Assistant

Michelle Raccone, born & raised in Connecticut, received her Bachelors of Arts with a concentration in Sculpture... read more →

Fafi Rivera Workforce Coordinator

Jenny Sparks Client Relations Manager

Jenny grew up in Hampstead, Maryland, where she enjoyed playing outside with her three siblings and many pets. She gradu... read more →

Islay Taylor Associate Director

Islay Taylor is a contemporary art jeweler, who uses the body as a pedestal to showcase wearable sculptures. She receive... read more →

Sally Turner Development Director

With close to twenty years of experience in community-based non-profit management, Turner has worked with Groundwork Pro... read more →

The Board

Jennifer Carnevale Board Chair

Megan Boyaval Board Secretary

Frank Previti Treasurer

Rafael Cerrada

Damian Ewens

Nat Harris

Kristine Merz

Colin Murphy

Benjamin Rackliffe

Manya Rubinstein

Emily Vander Does

The Instructors

Patti Barnatt

Patti Barnatt believes that making things is essential to one’s life and that sharing one’s expertise with o... read more →

Elliot Berry

A graduate of Hampshire College in Applied Design, Elliot has an innate interest in all things mechanical. As an artist,... read more →

Alison Bruun

Alison Bruun is a metalsmith and teaching artist located in Providence, RI. She took her first jewelry class for fun as ... read more →

Jane Dillon

Jane Dillon is a teacher, potter, and designer from Providence. After graduating from RISD, she apprenticed in San Franc... read more →

Carley Eisenberg

Carley Eisenberg is a blacksmith by trade and furniture maker by design. She received her Master’s in Furniture De... read more →

John Fazzino

John Fazzino’s work is an eclectic collection of objects for and about the garden. The larger outdoor work nests i... read more →

Tim Ferland Public Projects Director

Tim Ferland has worked as a fabricator & project manager for multiple highly renowned artists for over 10 years ... read more →

Fredric Gorman

Originally a native of Rhode Island, Fredric Gorman studied 2D Fine Arts at RISD and Massachusetts College of Art and De... read more →

Heather Guidero

Heather Guidero is a 2002 RISD graduate with a BFA in jewelry and metalsmithing. After 3 years of goldsmithing in New Yo... read more →

liz hafey

I am a thrower. I’m a person who digs up material from the earth and speaks through it. I look at my whole proc... read more →

John Harvey

John D. Harvey caught the blacksmithing bug at The Steel Yard in 2014 and hasn't stopped since! He works primarily... read more →

Andrew Haviland

Andrew Haviland is a maker with a day job. He lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island creating jewelry and art for h... read more →

Ruth Henry

A recent graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Ruth received her BFA in Furniture Design. Her current practice ... read more →

Steven Lubecki

Steven Lubecki is an artist living in Providence, RI. He has been working as a professional goldsmith for the last 12 ye... read more →

Alaina Mahoney

Alaina’s work takes elements that are sacred to people—things that are precious specifically to them—a... read more →

Isabel Mattia

Isabel Mattia is an artist and curator who spends her creative time in her studio within Smokestack Studios in Fall Rive... read more →

Patrick McMillan

Patrick McMillan has been a practicing jeweler and metalsmith 2003 when he graduated from Nova Scotia College of Art and... read more →

Luke Montes

Luke Montes came to Providence by way of San Diego, California. He began at the Steel Yard as a job training participant... read more →

Danika Notar

Danika Notar was born into a middle class family in the Philadelphia suburbs. Her mother a painter, her father an engine... read more →

Amie Plante

Amie Louise Plante is a native Rhode Island artist, jeweler, designer and teacher extraordinaire. She earned her BFA in... read more →

liz potenza

Liz Hafey is a potter, ceramicist, teacher and sculptural artist. She has studied in several places, including Massachus... read more →

Nora Rabins

Nora Rabins makes public art and utilitarian sculpture. Her background is in art, logic and design (with degrees from S... read more →

Brendan Rose

... read more →

Miriam Serot-Shore

Born in Philadelphia in 1982, Miriam Serot-Shore studied journalism, worked as a veterinary technician, and owned a wedd... read more →

Nick Tomlin

Nick Tomlin grew up in Singapore and England before moving to Providence to study Industrial Design at RISD. During his... read more →

Max Van Pelt

Max Van Pelt is a Providence-based contemporary artist whose work moves freely between sculpture, painting, and installa... read more →

Mike White

Mike White is a sculptor and Providence native. His work with sculpture mainly focuses on the human body and the spaces ... read more →

Willow Zietman

Willow Zietman is a blacksmith, flameworker and metal artist working out of Waltham, MA. She has studied metal arts ever... read more →

Blacksmithing

Carley Eisenberg

Carley Eisenberg is a blacksmith by trade and furniture maker by design. She received her Master’s in Furniture De... read more →

John Harvey

John D. Harvey caught the blacksmithing bug at The Steel Yard in 2014 and hasn't stopped since! He works primarily... read more →

Nick Tomlin

Nick Tomlin grew up in Singapore and England before moving to Providence to study Industrial Design at RISD. During his... read more →

Willow Zietman

Willow Zietman is a blacksmith, flameworker and metal artist working out of Waltham, MA. She has studied metal arts ever... read more →

Ceramics

Patti Barnatt

Patti Barnatt believes that making things is essential to one’s life and that sharing one’s expertise with o... read more →

Jane Dillon

Jane Dillon is a teacher, potter, and designer from Providence. After graduating from RISD, she apprenticed in San Franc... read more →

John Fazzino

John Fazzino’s work is an eclectic collection of objects for and about the garden. The larger outdoor work nests i... read more →

Fredric Gorman

Originally a native of Rhode Island, Fredric Gorman studied 2D Fine Arts at RISD and Massachusetts College of Art and De... read more →

liz hafey

I am a thrower. I’m a person who digs up material from the earth and speaks through it. I look at my whole proc... read more →

Danika Notar

Danika Notar was born into a middle class family in the Philadelphia suburbs. Her mother a painter, her father an engine... read more →

liz potenza

Liz Hafey is a potter, ceramicist, teacher and sculptural artist. She has studied in several places, including Massachus... read more →

Jewelry

Alison Bruun

Alison Bruun is a metalsmith and teaching artist located in Providence, RI. She took her first jewelry class for fun as ... read more →

Heather Guidero

Heather Guidero is a 2002 RISD graduate with a BFA in jewelry and metalsmithing. After 3 years of goldsmithing in New Yo... read more →

Andrew Haviland

Andrew Haviland is a maker with a day job. He lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island creating jewelry and art for h... read more →

Steven Lubecki

Steven Lubecki is an artist living in Providence, RI. He has been working as a professional goldsmith for the last 12 ye... read more →

Patrick McMillan

Patrick McMillan has been a practicing jeweler and metalsmith 2003 when he graduated from Nova Scotia College of Art and... read more →

Amie Plante

Amie Louise Plante is a native Rhode Island artist, jeweler, designer and teacher extraordinaire. She earned her BFA in... read more →

Miriam Serot-Shore

Born in Philadelphia in 1982, Miriam Serot-Shore studied journalism, worked as a veterinary technician, and owned a wedd... read more →

Metalworking Welding

Tim Ferland Public Projects Director

Tim Ferland has worked as a fabricator & project manager for multiple highly renowned artists for over 10 years ... read more →