Crafts are taking shape at the point where the three elements of the head that forms the human intelligence, the heart that emits the emotions, and the hand that forms the shape meet. Crafts are a realization of harmony between practicality and human desire of expression into concrete objects, and plays an important role in giving human personality and unique aesthetics to our living environment surrounded by mass produced commodities today. Crafts also have an important meaning that restores the totality of the human ability which is likely to be lost in the divided and fragmented social environment caused by the development of science and technology, that is, the ability to see and harmonize the whole of the object.

The Department of Metalwork and Jewelry deals with a wide range of materials from metal materials to new materials for creative works, and further provides professional education based on theories and techniques of metalwork as well as new technology-based training. The Department has maintained its reputation as one of the most competitive educational institutions internationally through world-class faculty, specialized studio environment, numerous scholarship programs and exchange student system with the world’s leading metalworking schools.

Based on the theoretical understanding of the social and cultural values of crafts, the Department of Metalwork and Jewelry aims to cultivate creative talents in the elegant and unique daily goods, ornaments, furniture, sculptures and crafts, and culture-related planning, delivering contemporary sentiment of crafts through the balanced design development process for creative and artistic craftwork and commercialization.

The curriculum of the Department of Metalwork and Jewelry is largely divided into five major areas. The five fields advance from the foundation to the applications throughout the school year and are linked organically with the process of creation such as ‘Design Practice,’ ‘Metal Crafts,’ ‘Jewelry,’ ‘Industrial Products,’ ‘Crafts and Arts Theory.’ ‘Design Practice’ area helps students acquire basic design elements and principles including 2D and 3D, and develop the basis of creative expression ability. The ‘Metal Crafts’ area advances to the courses such as ‘Metal Crafts,’ ‘Materials and Techniques,’ ‘Crafts and Design,’ starting from the first-year ‘Basic Metal Crafts,’ and studies the properties of metal materials as well as processing and expression techniques. The area also studies the application and new functions of non-metallic materials to facilitate creative artworks demanded by the times. The ‘Jewelry’ area helps students learn the basic techniques through ‘Making Jewelry’ starting from the second year, and develop the ability to make jewelry in addition to idea development and design methodology. The area advances into various accessories production including art ornaments that emphasize expression and aesthetics, fine jewelry using precious metals and jewels, and fashion accessories that reflect contemporary tastes. The ‘Industrial Products’ area helps students learns the uses of various CAD/CAM software as well as 3D printers, applies them to design and production, and learns methodology to investigate production methods and efficient applicability in the industrial field. In the ‘Crafts and Arts Theory’ area, students explore the historical, socio-cultural characteristics of crafts and contemporary crafts activities and broaden their understanding of the arts as a whole.