Thomas mann jewelry biography of christopher columbus

Thomas Robert Mann (born 1947) is an American jewelry artist known primarily for his metalsmithing and assemblage techniques.^[1] Combining industrial-style metals with found trinkets and baubles, Mann has dubbed his style "Techno-Romantic" and runs Studio I/O in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he now lives and works.^[2]

Early life and education

Mann was born in Northampton, Pennsylvania and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania.^[1] His father was a machinist for Bethlehem Steel, an influence to which Mann credits his "fondness for machinery."^[3] While in high school, Mann experimented with jewelry-making and worked at a silversmith shop in Allentown.^[2] The jewelry he sold during his teen years helped fund his education at East Stroudsburg University, where he earned a degree in performing arts in 1970.^[2] In 1977, Mann began exhibiting at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and later establ