Metal workshop for kids in Barrio Escalante

From the print edition

Working with metal isn’t an arts-and-crafts project many kids can do at the kitchen table. To get young people into a new medium and forward metal craft in Costa Rica, metalwork school Studio Metallo in Barrio Escalante is holding its first children’s workshop.

In a series of four-hour Saturday classes in San José, students will learn to manipulate the tricky substances of metal and resin, along with other materials. Participants will decorate different pieces like earrings, rings, key chains, cellphone accessories, headbands and necklaces.

“To us, it seems like in an age dominated by video games, television, computers and the like; kids have lost what it’s like to work with their own hands,” said Stephanie Woodbridge of Studio Metallo. “Because of this, we have developed Kids’ Workshop, where they can create something from a design to the final product, with unique materials.”

Resin is a material that can be worked in numerous ways, all depending on the creativity and ingenuity of the person, Woodbridge said. No soldering or electric heated tools will be used.

Instructors include Studio Metallo owner Damaris Ortuño and staff members Eugenia Lacayo and Lili Martha. 

The workshop runs Aug. 25-Sept. 25, and takes places every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost is ₡90,000 ($180), and the classes are open to children 12 and older. To register, email info@studiometallo.com or call 2281-3207.