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Rhea Vedro leads fine metals instruction at the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory. Her courses include 3.093 (Metalsmithing: Objects Power), 3.095 (Introduction to Metalsmithing), and DesignPlus seminars at MIT Morningside Academy. Vedro is a metalsmith whose work explores the intersection of art, materiality, and healing. Her research delves into the cultural significance of metalsmithing, including the values, power, and belief systems associated with this craft throughout history. As a trained jeweler, she focuses on hollow-form steel sculpture in her studio practice. Before joining the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, Vedro was a Boston Public Art Triennial Accelerator Fellow and served as the director of community engagement at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She has taught metalsmithing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the State University of New York New Paltz. Her project portfolio features collaborations with the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts + Culture, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Artisans Asylum, North Bennet Street School, Vizcaya Museum, Queens Museum, and the New York City Parks Foundation, among others. Vedro holds an MFA in metalsmithing from SUNY New Paltz. When not working, Rhea enjoys her time in the studio, garden, and ocean.