Born in 1950 in Princeton, New Jersey, Harlan Butt is a leading metalsmith specializing in enamels. Butt earned his BFA in metalsmithing in 1972 at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia under ACC Fellow Stanley Lechtzin. He continued his studies at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale under ACC Gold Medalist L. Brent Kington, earning his MFA in 1974. Butt lectured for a year after graduating at San Diego State University. In 1976, he joined the faculty at the University of North Texas in Denton, where he still works as a regents professor. Known for his work ethic and craftsmanship, Butt creates intricate vessels that investigate humanity’s relationship to nature in cultures around the world. Though these works are typically enticing and beautiful, they often contain subtle references to a harsher reality. Butt has been an advocate for his craft outside the studio, serving as president of both the Society of North American Goldsmiths (2009 – 2011) and the Enamelist Society (1998 – 1999). He has also curated a number of exhibitions focusing on enamel and authored numerous essays and articles. Butt has mounted solo exhibitions around the country and been collected by institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1980) and a Texas Commission on the Arts Grant (1983). Harlan Butt was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 2002.