Schools and organizations

CERF+ was started by artists for artists in the craft community as a grassroots mutual aid effort in 1985 and has since emerged as the leading nonprofit organization that uniquely focuses on safeguarding artists’ livelihoods nationwide. CERF+ serves artists who work in craft disciplines by providing a safety net to support strong and sustainable careers.

The Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center (CAFAC) is a non-profit arts organization located in Minneapolis Minnesota, USA. They focus on art forms produced using heat, spark, or flame: blacksmithing, enameling, glass, jewelry making, metal casting, neon, sculptural welding, and more. The pillars of their programming are arts education, artist support, and public art, which together provide a platform for social impact and community-driven resources.

Desert Metal Craft is located in Tucson Arizona, USA, and is dedicated to teaching the ancient art of blacksmithing together with the modern science behind the craft of metalworking. Develop your artisanal skills in a safe, collaborative learning environment in a fully equipped forge, supported by a team of experienced blacksmiths, metal workers, artists and metallurgists.

In the belief that art is vital to the human spirit, the Eureka Springs School of the Arts commits itself to cultivating, promoting, and encouraging artistic expression by providing art and fine craft education opportunities for students of all levels in a unique environment of beauty and creativity. Located in Eureka Springs Arkansas.

This school is run by Leslie Tharp and is located in Gainesville Florida, USA. "Hands-on Workshops are a great way to dive into the world of blacksmithing and [Fe]ver offers a wide variety of opportunities for students to begin learning. No experience is required to participate unless noted in the class description. Enjoy small class sizes and learn step by step the techniques involved in completing the project of your choice."

Hardy & Fuller is a unique project that combines several goals to enrich and improve the artistic community in Denver, Colorado. First, to offer a safe space for those underrepresented in specialized metal trades, such as women and the LGBTQ+, disabled, and BIPOC communities. Second, to provide the community with access to a fully equipped shop that facilitates the development and creation of metal artworks. Last, but definitely not least, to build a nonprofit that will fund an artist in residency program, scholarship opportunities for disadvantaged youth, as well as any other way we can bring the confidence and strength of metal working to those that need it the most.

Tucked away in the mountains of western North Carolina, the John C. Campbell Folk School offers weeklong and weekend classes for adults in craft, art, music, dance, cooking, gardening, nature studies, photography, writing, and more. Our non-competitive and small-sized classes are offered year-round on a scenic 270-acre campus, attracting students from all over the world. The Folk School is committed to providing everyone with a positive experience of learning and sharing in a safe environment.

The Kentucky Forge Council is a community based blacksmith group, contact Charles Hurst (he/him) at Charles.hurst@wku.edu for more information.

At Ms Caitlin's School, we want EVERYONE to have a chance to learn blacksmithing, regardless of whether they "look like a blacksmith". Ms Caitlin joined a group of 10 other professional female blacksmiths & metalworkers in Portland, OR in 2018 to found The Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths. Our mission is to support and promote the craft of blacksmithing, custom-made metalwork, and the blacksmithing community. And to support and promote diversity in the blacksmithing community.

Fusing imagination with a practice rooted in very tangible skills, we endeavor to fuel individual creativity with heart, mind, and hand. We believe deeply that human beings are inherently makers, and that the practice of making enhances our lives both as individuals and members of a larger community." This school is Located in Bigfork Montana, USA.

"Our mission is to enrich lives and build community by teaching traditional northern crafts in a student-centered learning environment that inspires the hands, the heart and the mind." This school is located in Grand Marais Minnesota, USA

An online blacksmithing group. Code of Conduct was signed by Stuart Geisler (he/him) who can be contacted at stuarttheblacksmith@yahoo.com.

The Penland iron program offers beginning to advanced workshops in traditional and contemporary blacksmithing, metalworking, and sculpture. The studio provides space and specialty equipment for the exploration of concept and technique in ferrous and nonferrous metals.

Peters Valley School of Craft is located in Layton New Jersey, USA. They champion the unifying power of art, craft, and creativity; celebrate the diversity of our shared humanity; and condemn racism and violence in all forms.

Our mission is to foster a creative, inclusive art‐making community, providing access to quality education and professionally equipped studios for everyone. We promote the joy and transformative power of art and actively support the development of visual artists.

An organization dedicated to disarming guns and promoting non-violence. "Turning guns into garden tools is at the center of the work of RAW tools. It connects our programs and enables storytelling—stories of magnificent transformation as well as the deep trauma of grief and loss."

Blacksmithing and welding classes taught by Marsha Sue Trattner (she/her) and located in Brooklyn New York, USA.

The Crucible is a nonprofit organization and art school dedicated to making the fine and industrial arts accessible for all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Our work is centered in Oakland and the East Bay, where we provide high-quality, fun classes and workshops to thousands of people each year. With over nineteen different art departments, including welding, blacksmithing, glass flameworking, and more, this 56,000-square-foot space is waiting for you to come find your next creative adventure.

As part of celebrating and empowering Oakland, we also offer free programming, scholarships, and paid leadership opportunities for youth and adults who live locally and otherwise could not participate.

Their industrial art classes welcome all levels—from absolute beginners to experienced artists and craftspeople—to a one-of-a-kind learning environment in Oakland, CA.

The mission of the Metal Museum (located in Memphis Tennessee) is to preserve, promote, and advance the art and craft of fine metalwork. The Metal Museum achieves its mission through four interrelated programming areas - rotating exhibitions of historic and contemporary metalwork; the Permanent Collection of objects, books, folios, and archives; the Metals Studios comprised of a Blacksmith Shop, Foundry, small metals lab, and design lab that provide educational opportunities for metalsmiths through artistic creation; and vibrant community education and engagement programming for learners of all ages.

The Steel Yard is a non-profit industrial art center and shared studio located in Providence, RI. We’re an arts maker space and non-traditional craft school offering courses & educational programs in blacksmithing, welding, jewelry, foundry, and ceramics. Depending on the program a student is enrolled in they may pay a subsidized fee, receive a scholarship or get paid to develop new skills.

The Steel Yard is a non-profit industrial art center and shared studio located in Providence Rhode Island. We’re an arts maker space and non-traditional craft school offering courses in blacksmithing, welding, jewelry, foundry, and ceramics. Depending on the program a student is enrolled in they may pay a subsidized fee, receive a scholarship or get paid to develop new skills.

Offering classes taught by SIBs committee member Anne Bujold (she/her).

The Vancouver Hack Space (VHS) is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit workshop where members share tools, equipment, space, knowledge, and good times. Located in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada