Cameron Ringenberg

Cameron Ringenberg, ’15 metals, has combined his creativity and the interdisciplinary education he received at Tennessee Tech to build a career he loves. 

When Ringenberg was a student living at the Appalachian Center for Craft, he developed solid relationships with the faculty there, but also had memorable experiences on the main campus, particularly in history classes with Professor Michael Birdwell and English classes with Susan Moynihan.

“I think being a part of the Craft Center’s Visual Arts Society had a big impact on the way I viewed myself as part of the student body, of the ACC as well as Tech,” Ringenberg said. “It made me feel a part of something bigger than just my own experience.”

Ringenberg served as president of the Visual Arts Society while he was a student at Tech. That experience showed him the dedication of faculty members to their students, he said.

Currently, Ringenberg works as assistant shop manager for Ironware International’s Nashville location. Ironware works with a forge in Normandy where lighting and furniture are handmade. The items are sent to Ringenberg’s shop to be wired, finished, polished, painted or even gold-leafed.

“I do everything from repairing pieces broken in transit across the Atlantic to building custom crates for large or irregularly shaped pieces to be shipped to showrooms,” Ringenberg said. “I even cut and bevel glass for some pieces, so I can honestly say the interdisciplinary education I received at the Craft Center has really helped me be a great candidate for this position.

“Basically, I love it.”