James Viste Named Master Metalsmith with Accompanying Exhibition at Metal Museum
Lily’s Stump, 2009. Die forged and fabricated steel, copper, patina. Courtesy of the Artist. Photograph courtesy of Houston Cofield.
James Viste (MFA Metalsmithing 1997) has been honored as the 39th Master Metalsmith at the Metal Museum in Memphis, where his solo exhibition Let Me Tell You a Story runs October 5, 2025, through February 1, 2026, in the Keeler and Gasparrini Galleries.
Known for his sculptural vessels that blend whimsy, memory, and narrative, Viste draws from six decades of experience as a blacksmithing educator, demonstrator, and materials innovator. The Metal Museum describes his works as filled with “anecdotes, memories, humor, and whimsy,” celebrating a dynamic relationship between material, smith, and forge.
A retrospective look at Viste’s career reveals a consistent commitment to refining technique and storytelling through metalwork. In his commentary, Viste reflects: “Every object’s actual past is its own secret… silent unless someone remembers it.”
His exhibition will include an artist talk on October 18, including a demonstration for families.
Viste restored the Gary Griffin Gates at Academy Way in 2020, featured in the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research’s “Live at 5” series led by Curator Kevin Adkisson.
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