Forging Community: A Celebration of Contemporary Blacksmithing

Saturday, April 11, 10 AM – 5 PM

You’re invited to Forging Community, Contemporary Craft’s Blacksmithing Symposium! Join us in the CC Studios on April 11 for a full day of live demos and presentations by prominent contemporary blacksmiths, including keynote speaker, Anna Koplik.

Gather with craftspeople, artists, and educators to dive into the world of contemporary blacksmithing! We’ll also be hosting a silent auction and a small market of artist-made work, and we’ll end the day with two hours of free forge time! Experienced blacksmiths and curious newcomers welcome!

Come experience our new blacksmithing studio, build connection, shop artists’ work—and help us celebrate that Pittsburgh IS Craft!

See the full schedule and information on the featured artists below.

Get your tickets!

Tickets
Professional: $40
Student: $25
Includes breakfast, lunch, and event t-shirt.
Attendees can choose from two different lectures and speakers.

*Scholarships are available. For information on scholarships, please email Allison Jones, Director of Programs & Residencies, at ajones@contemporarycraft.org.

Sponsored by SNAG.

Contemporary Craft received funding from Pennsylvania Creative Industries, powered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Schedule of Events

9:00 – 10:00 AM: Check-In
10:00 – 10:15 AM: Opening Remarks

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Demo 1 – Hammer Making with Anna Koplik
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Speaker 1 (more info to come!)

12:00 PM: Silent Auction Opens
12:30 – 1:15 PM: Lunch

1:30 – 3:00 PM: Lecture 2 (more info to come!)
1:30 – 3:00 PM: Demo 2  (more info to come!)

3:00 – 3:30 PM: Break

3:30 – 4:30 PM: Keynote Speaker – Anna Koplik Blacksmithing Journey
4:30 – 5:00 PM: Closing Remarks. Silent auction ends at 5:00 PM.

5:00 – 7:00 PM: Free forge time

Featured Artists

Anna R. Koplik

Anna R. Koplik graduated with a BFA in Jewelry from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY where she discovered her love for metalwork and forging. After graduating she shifted her focus to blacksmithing and began traveling, working at crafts schools and as a journeyman architectural smith, teaching blacksmithing workshops, and going on adventures whenever possible.

        Anna’s personal work focuses mainly on tool and utensil making, combining functionality with a refined, delicate aesthetic, and playing with whimsical combinations between function and decoration. She often focuses on hammer and tong making, enjoying the pure function of these tools and the ability to make exactly the tool she needs and customize tools for individual needs. Additionally she specializes in spoon forging with an emphasis on small forgings and forge-to-finish work.

        Anna has worked at a variety of shops, including Atlas Forge, Caleb Kullman Studio, Spirit Ironworks, Davis Metalsmiths, and Kjellman-Chapin Smeder as well as taught at various craft schools such as Penland, Touchstone, Center for Metal Arts, Haystack, and John C. Campbell.

Patrick Quinn

With a passion for sculpture and education, Patrick Quinn uses forging as a vehicle for sculptural expression, drawing heavily from industrial processes and tooling.  Equally important are his efforts to create a coherent educational curriculum for the craft of forging.  His work at the Center for Metal Arts exemplifies a healthy coexistence of both of these ideas, with an ever-present focus on positively impacting CMA students and the forging community at large.