Meet Robin McGauley - Silversmith & Spiritual Director

Life as a Silversmith:

I am driven by a desire to make art that is beautiful, meaningful, is inspired by listening to the wisdom of the land and expresses a commitment to the work of social change.

My home studio in Kitchener, Ontario is situated within the Haldimand Tract, land that was promised to the Haudenosaunee of the Six Nations of the Grand River, and within the territory of the Chonnonton, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples. 

I grew up on the shores of Lake Superior in Sault Ste. Marie, which is in Robinson-Huron Treaty territory and the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe. 

The rhythm of the seasons that I experienced as a child is a significant inspiration for my work as I pay attention to the lessons and beauty of the natural world. I am deeply committed to the work of reconciliation with Indigenous people and I often include symbols of this commitment in my creative process. 

I also love words. I write lines of poetry or the thoughts that arise as I create in metal. The combination of creating something that can be worn along with expressing its meaning through words truly makes my heart sing. My hope is that it is a gift of beauty to a broken world. 

I love that I am connected to all those who receive my work and am grateful when others find it meaningful for their lives. 

Education & Formation:

I learned the craft of metalsmithing in 2002-2003 when I took several continuing education courses at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax. In 2004-2005 I took continuing education courses in jewellery design at the Vancouver Community College. 

I earned a Bachelor of Arts from Queen's University in 2000, a Master of Divinity from the Vancouver School of Theology in 2004, and a post-graduate certificate in Expressive Arts from The Haliburton School of Art and Design in 2011. Since 2012 I have been a member of the faculty of this Expressive Arts program.

I love these quotes: 
"Some things are best done in the dark, including the transformation of raw material into tools and pieces of art. There is a smith in our soul who works the failures and successes of everyday life into eternal shapes that make us who we are. It's not extraordinary, this dark place of heat and hammering, but rather an unspectacular scene of hard work. You might think of your dark night as such a place and realize the importance of keeping it stocked and fired and dim. Your job is to provide the setting and let the divine smith do his work." - From Dark Nights of the Soul by Thomas Moore

“Jewels and precious metals, mined in the labyrinthine passages of earth’s womb, are symbols of the hidden treasures buried within the soul, in the substratum of our lives. They have always been sacred to the Great Mother. Silver, in particular, was “her” metal, because it belonged to the night world ruled by the moon.” - Andrew Harvey and Anne Baring, The Divine Feminine: Exploring the Feminine Face of God Throughout the World.