New Location in 2023!
we’re moving to Day Road Industrial Park
The School
Alchemy Industrial Arts is the only facility in the Kitsap Peninsula where youth and adults, novice and expert artisans, can learn, practice and work together to create industrial art.
Affordable facility access with unparalleled equipment offer all artists the opportunity to learn, experiment, and create.
Founded in 2014, Alchemy Industrial Arts is an accessible, hands-on learning and working environment serving students, hobbyists, professional artists, and those who are curious throughout Kitsap County. We are a registered 501(3)(c) nonprofit educational facility.
The Instructors
Kevin Mills
Fabrication, Plastic Forming, Play Engineering, Welding, Woodworking
Kevin Mills is an industrial designer and has been designing and building specialty furnishings and functional art for 25+ years. The former Director of Exhibit Design at the Children’s Museum of Tucson, he’s passionate about tinkering as a form of hands-on, play-based learning. He specializes in finding “unlikely uses for improbable materials.”
Erin Munter
Fabrication, Welding
Erin studied both TIG and MIG welding with certification from Laney College in Oakland California. With an affinity for metal arts, she continued to work in the industry landing in the PNW.
Erin is currently a seasoned metal fabricator using her MIG welding, plasma cutting, and basic fabrication skill-set to create unique custom table bases for Coyote Wood Shop on Bainbridge Island.
Ray Hammar
Fabrication, Welding
Artist Ray Hammar’s functional pieces are made from reclaimed and recycled materials. Hammar sources materials from all over the Pacific Northwest as part of his quest to encourage people to buy handmade American pieces. His “buy local” pieces range from tables to ladders, to sheerly ornamental chandeliers, all made from industrial scraps.
Jeremy Loerch | Founder
Fabrication, Metalworking, Welding
Jeremy Loerch is the successful small business owner of Monkey Wrench Fabrication studio, focused on original pieces made from all types of metal. Expertise includes teaching and curriculum development for youth, as well as adult programming.
Jeremy loves the art of metal forming in all of its applications, and enjoys teaching this art to inspired individuals in a way that applies practical application and understanding with hands on learning styles.
Expertise includes teaching experience pre-K through 12, curriculum development, metal shaping/forming, machining and running two successful small business that incorporated practical skills into a dynamic environment.
Awards & Recognition
- Japan/Fulbright Scholarship Recipient
- National Middle School merit award “Teams That Make a Difference”
- Metalwork featured in Bainbridge Island Magazine
- Hand-built Motorcycles & Art featured at Gallery Zero (Portland, OR)
- Hand-built 1998 Buell S1W Motorcycle featured at Street Chopper Magazine
Jeremy graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor of arts degree in Education/ESL. He also attended the South Seattle Community College welding school, as well as the Pratt Fine Art Center in Seattle, WA.
Having spent time as a teacher at UCDS and Billings Middle School, Jeremy decided to flex his entrepreneurial skills as founder and owner of Felony Flyers, a design and build shop for custom motorcycles in Seattle where his bikes were recognized and featured in both Iron Horse Magazine and Street Chopper Magazine. Later selling his business to move his family to Bainbridge Island, he started MonkeyWrench, a metal fabrication shop, in addition to Alchemy Industrial Arts.
what we’re about
Alchemy Industrial Arts is a registered 501(3)(c) nonprofit educational facility that fosters collaboration among the arts, industry, and community.
Through training in the fine and industrial arts, we teach practical skills in the trades industry, cultivate individual creative expression, build self-confidence, and encourage environmentally-friendly reuse of materials.
Our goal is to inspire an increased interest in the trades as an alternative to other accessible job opportunities in the machining, welding, and fabrication fields — as well as inspiring creativity and DIY learning opportunities for youth and adults.
We welcome all skill levels and all creative visions, and work to break down barriers for those who perceive the industrial arts as inaccessible.
We offer hands-on educational experiences in a uniquely safe, welcoming and non-competitive environment.
We foster a sense of belonging for our students and community members, and help them to create rich connections and to support one another through the process of development — regardless of whether an individual is working toward learning a trade, learning a skilled trade for practical application, or increasing creative capacity.
Our courses highlight the artistic and innovative design elements of these fields, focusing on inspiring creativity and providing learning opportunities for both the youth and adults alike.
– Our Objectives –
Provide a practical learning environment for industrial art skills.
Primarily target youth ages 10-17 (also adults) in Kitsap County and Bainbridge Island.
Stimulate interest and increase awareness of the trades.