Louis Mueller Paterson, NJ, b. 1943

Louis Mueller is a formally trained silversmith who has made drawings and sculptures for

the past fifty years. Mueller discovered his inclination towards craftsmanship and art after

failing out of numerous academic programs in his 20s. During one of these academic stints,

his room mate suggested that Mueller’s disposition seemed to suit that of a silversmith.

This comment ended up shaping much of Mueller’s career. After completing an MFA at RISD

in 1971, Mueller became the head of the Jewelry and Metalsmithing Department until 2003.

Mueller sees his own artistic practice as something that fits within certain categories of

industrial design, describing his work as “sloppy with a purpose.”