Felix Lehner
dedicated himself to his interest in sculptural art and the craft of casting after an apprenticeship as a bookseller. He established the Kunstgiesserei in 1983 in Beinwil am See and moved to St.Gallen with two employees in 1994. Since then, he has continued to press ahead with the development of the Kunstgiesserei and manages its operations. In 2006, he established the Sitterwerk Foundation, in which non-commercial activities for the creation and research of artworks are promoted.
Samuel Bischof
was the first trainee in the Kunstgiesserei in 1988. Within the framework of artistic projects, he performs welding work and develops special technical solutions. He is also responsible for the systems and machines in the Kunstgiesserei as a trouble-shooter, and deals with tasks from metalwork and electrical work to crane building. Since 2006, he has been a member of the board of directors of the Kunstgiesserei St.Gallen AG.
Rita Kappenthuler
has worked in the Kunstgiesserei since 1999. She was educated as a stonecutter and received training as a civil engineering draftsperson. She is skilled in all sculpting techniques and is responsible for the production of silicon and plaster negatives as well as for chasing. In the team that manages the workshop, she is responsible for both the coordination of work and the supervision of trainees and interns.
Lukas Furrer
has worked in the Kunstgiesserei since 2000 and also runs the Flury+Furrer architecture office in Zurich with a partner. As an architect, he is responsible for both the execution of exhibition structures as well as all conversion and new construction planning for the Kunstgiesserei, such as, for example, in the Art Library, the Studio House, and the Kesselhaus Josephsohn. He has also assisted the sculptor Hans Josephsohn for many years in his studio in Zurich.
Philipp Bachmann
is a trained carpenter and has worked in the Kunstgiesserei since 2000. In addition to multifaceted craftsmanship activities, above all in the construction of molds, he is also involved in coordinating work and scheduling. He has supervised the quality management and work processes in our partner foundry in Shanghai along with David Andermatt and Christian Meier since 2010.
Marianne Rinderknecht
studied art in Basel and has been responsible for project administration in the Kunstgiesserei since 2003. In addition to her own exhibition activities, she is also active in numerous art and cultural-political projects.
Urs Jordi
has been a member of our staff since completing his training as a stone sculptor in 2003. In addition to his own projects as a carpenter and sculptor, he works in the Kunstgiesserei above all in the area of metalworking, welding, and chasing. He develops sophisticated solutions for complex mechanical tasks, which result from experimentation, skill in craftsmanship, and broad specialized know-how.
Tamara Cattozzo
joined our staff in 2004. She brings in-depth knowledge of synthetic materials and model building materials from her work as an architectural model builder. In the Kunstgiesserei, she is mainly responsible silicon moldings and model building.
Sabina Schütz
has worked in the Kunstgiesserei since 2005. She works on negative forms and wax models and is our specialist for the coloring of objects. As a trained graphic designer, she is responsible for designing packaging, labeling, manuals, etc.
Antonia Möhr
studied visual art in New York and has been on our staff since 2005. She is involved in the finishing of the surfaces of objects in patination, in the restoration of damage to patinas, and in the production of wax. As part of the team that manages the workshop, she is responsible for coordinating work and scheduling.
Annina Gubser
completed training as a casting technician in August 2009 after receiving her secondary school diploma. She is responsible for tasks in all fields of craftsmanship. As part of the team in the foundry hall, she is involved in ensuring that the casting process goes smoothly.
Till Jäckli
completed training with us as a casting technician in the summer of 2009 after matriculating and doing a one-year foundry internship. As part of the team in the foundry hall, he is involved in ensuring that the casting process goes smoothly. He has recently also taken on responsibilities for working processes and scheduling for the foundry as a member of the team that manages the workshop.
Martin v. Bülow
is a trained men’s tailor and graphic designer. He has been active as an employee of the foundry since 2004. His multifaceted skills and abilities are utilized in all areas, above all in the production of wax models, forming, the spraying of color layers, and as a member of the team in the casting hall.
Fritz Hunziker
has supervised the bookkeeping of the Kunstgiesserei since 1993. He is responsible for the administrative and financial transactions of the business. As a specialist for transport and insurance questions, he contributes to ensuring that models and artworks reach their destination safely.
Michael Koch
is a trained stone sculptor. After attending the school for master craftsmen, he has worked in the foundry since the beginning of 2006. His field of work encompasses metalwork and chasing as a focus. His skilled handling of materials makes him an outstanding modeler. As part of the team that manages the workshop, he contributes to ensuring that the work process runs smoothly and supervises numerous projects simultaneously.
Silvia Pfister
is a freelance, scientific illustrator with an emphasis on archeology and botanical illustration, and has worked in the Kunstgiesserei since 2006. Here she is active in the wax room, in modeling, and in the coloring of wax.
Damian Dünner
completed training as a carpenter and has worked in the most varied of areas within the foundry operations since 2006. He is a specialist for sophisticated packaging tasks and also works on diverse projects with synthetic materials and wood with great skill in craftsmanship.
Andres Mock
completed training as a casting technician in the summer of 2010. He is active in all areas of the Kunstgiesserei and supports processes in the casting hall as a member of the casting team.
Lotti Herrmann
a business economist, took over the administrative management of the Kunstgiesserei in 2008. She is responsible for the reorganization of the complex work processes and the controlling of business structures.
Christian Meier
has supervised our partner site in Shanghai since November 2007 and oversees work on site there. The visual artist has lived in China since 2006 and speaks fluent Mandarin. He divides his time between the foundry and his studio.
Sebastian Rossmann
is a trained caster and educated as a casting engineer, and works in materials research on metallurgical projects. He took over the Sulzer experimental foundry and established Vacumet AG, which focuses on vacuum casting, special alloys according to recipes, and special metallurgical cases for industry, research, and art. Vacumet AG relocated to the Sittertal in 2008. In the Kunstgiesserei, he is the specialist for metallurgical questions and smelting technology.
Emil Meier
first assisted for half a year in the cataloging of the Art Library in the Sitterwerk during his civil service in the winter of 2007. The educated sign writer has since then been active as a permanent employee of the Kunstgiesserei above all in the production of wax models. In this area, he has developed specific specialist knowledge, and advises the most varied of projects as a wax specialist.
Gabriel Badertscher
is a trained stone cutter and has been our employee in the areas of metalwork and chasing since 2007.
Antoneta Ukaj
is a registered nurse and has been responsible for all housekeeping and home economics in the Kunstgiesserei and the operations of the Sitterwerk since 2008.
Tim Büchel
studied architecture in Vienna. He has been responsible for the realization of the conversions in the Kunstgiesserei since the end of 2007. He is also active in the areas of mold building and cement casting.
Joris Akeret
graduated from vocational secondary school and has been in training as a casting technician with us since 2009.
Urs Supersaxo
managed a company for the manufacturing of soapstone ovens after attending the school for master craftsmen in Visp/Wallis. The stone sculptor came to the Kunstgiesserei in the summer of 2008 along with the 5-axis robot used in his company. Here, he shares responsibility for the operation of the milling robot. He is also active above all in mold building and chasing.
Adi Grüninger
is a trained aircraft maintenance engineer and specialized as an IT specialist in graphic and computer companies for many years. In the Kunstgiesserei, he is responsible for the 3D software and the technical supervision of the milling facility. He solves all computer problems and also supervises the network and the databases.
Annett Friedland
came to the Kunstgiesserei in 2008 after her training as a stone cutter and stone sculptor. She is mainly active in the building of wax models.
Janis Frank
is a trained polymechanic. Since 2009, he has shared responsibility for CNC milling and programming in Engelburg.
Daniel Schneider
completed training as a polymechanic and then did further training as a webmaster. Since 2009, he has shared responsibility for the milling center in Engelburg.
István Tamás
is a trained machinist and worked in an art foundry in the city of Pécs in Hungary for many years. Since 2009, he has been the specialist in for metal and chasing work in the foundry.
Alex Liechti
completed training as a stone sculptor and has worked in the chasing area since 2009.
Jiajia Zhang
studied architecture at the ETH in Zurich and afterwards completed a one-year training as a photographer at the ICP in New York. In addition to her own projects, she has worked since 2009 as an assistant to Felix Lehner, is jointly responsible for communication, and accompanies ongoing projects.
Clemens Waibel
is a trained polymechanic and has shared responsibility for the realization of complex tasks in the field of mechanics, robotics, and electronics since 2010.
Michael Wiesner
is a trained electrician and completed his sculptor studies in Antwerp (BE). In the Kunstgiesserei, he has worked since 2010 in mold building and in the production of plaster shell molds.
Sascha Gruber
was active in an industrial foundry before coming to us in the casting hall in March 2010.
Pfannen, Sthil und Späne
provides a delicious midday meal for our casters every day. With Pfannen, Sthil und Späne, the trained chef and carpenter Martin Kappenthuler operates a very busy catering agency for which the canteen of the Kunstgiesserei serves as the basis. The company is responsible for the culinary design of festive occasions every week both in the rooms of the Sitterwerk or externally – individualized service is provided, from aperitifs to gala menus.