Lisa Vetter –NW Visiting Artist only—Our work is inspired by the natural world and is in response to our throw away society.  Americans dispose of more usable items than some countries produce.  The found objects we collect tell the stories of bygone travels, miscalculated gifts, and can be a historical reminder of previous generations.  By creatively “upcycling” these objects with other media we not only offer a new story to an old item, we also challenge the viewer to observe these everyday items in a completely different way.  * We design and create each piece at “the Art Farm”, our restored 1860 farm studio and home.  Our works range in scale from room lighting to wearable pieces and are primarily functional.  A wide variety of found objects are assembled with textiles and mixed metals.  The metals are hand-formed, cut, cold-connected, textured, forged, engraved, riveted, pierced, soldered, and/or oxidized.  Textiles are both hand and machine stitched as well as hand felted.  Many pieces are embellished with glass beads or other small found objects.  Her website is http://artfarm.shutterfly.com/51