“I Nita Help” Nita Metzbower to the rescue
Linda Shanahan
Anita Metzbower, she’s a real rock star
Need some help? You needn’t look far
Botched your piece? You’re not alone
She’ll help you solder or set a stone
You’ll always find her in the shop
You ask for help; She’ll always stop
She loves lost wax and silver, too
But most of all loves helping you
Now in this year of twenty twenty
She’s our pres. and gets no money
She’ll listen and she’s always fair
Can be a job to tear your hair
Especially with this COVID mess
We’ll open soon but who can guess
She’ll let us know ‘cause she’s a pro
For more on “Nita” see below
Anita Metzbower, “Nita” to her friends (“I needa help” to her students), is a humble, quiet lady who prefers channeling her thoughts and words into art. Imagination, dreams, and other realities express who she is and has become. Born and raised in Michigan in a Leave It to Beaver-type family, she graduated from Central Michigan University with a BS degree in art and science. Nita left Michigan after college and began a career which lasted 40 years, teaching art to all ages from small children through senior citizens. She shares, “I truly loved what I did and continue doing it today. The children whom I touched with art will always remain in my heart. They were my family away from home where I could laugh and have fun! Art is truly for everyone!” She continued her education in art, working on her masters at the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore, Md. Her artwork was displayed around the Maryland and Washington, D.C., area. “My highlight was displaying my art at the Woman’s Show in D.C., next to the White House.” Currently, she’s assisting Jim Marquis in lost wax classes and monitoring the Silver and Lost Wax Open Shop in IronOaks.
Nita lived in Annapolis, Md., and briefly in Colorado. She moved to Arizona in 2014 with her husband, two dogs, and a cat who have all since passed away. She has one son who is now married with three children.
Nita is a rare example of a club member who has created and/or taught in a number of areas, including fused glass, etched glass, stained glass, silversmithing, lost wax, wire wrapping, wire bracelets, copper tooling, precious metals, ceramics, painting and drawing, watercolor, oils, beading, pottery, chair caning, lapidary, leather, silk screening, and, yes, basket weaving. Want to take a class from Nita? Please join our club. For information on the Sun Lakes Rock, Gem and Silver Club, visit our website at slrgs.com.