DescriptiSam is a passionate jeweler fascinated by the artistry and intricate craftsmanship of jewelry making. Sam has been working in the jewelry industry since 2022, starting as an apprentice jeweler and now as a goldsmith/bench jeweler. Sam says: "Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center has played a major role in the discovery of my passion for fire arts, and I am so excited to get to teach at a place that has taught me so much!"

Jewelry

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Jon was first introduced to neon as a student at MCAD in the late 70's. In 1982, he started Neonistics Custom Neon Designs. His company produced thousands of feet of neon, both custom and commercial, through 1996. He has been working as a freelance glass bender for other companies since then. He's taught neon classes at MCAD and the American School of Neon. His goal in teaching at CAFAC is to introduce a new generation to the possibilities of the creative use of neon and to pass on the knowledge of the craft.

Neon

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Ashley is a flameworker and multimedia artist residing in Minneapolis, MN. She has been working with glass since 2010 after graduating from the University of Minnesota where she studied Architecture, Art and Anthropology. Her work draws on inspiration from fashion and global cultures, both contemporary and ancient. Her glass work focuses on color and pattern in marbles, jewelry and hollow forms using techniques she has developed over her career.  Her work has been featured in galleries and collections in multiple countries and her work was exhibited at a solo gallery show in Miami, FL in 2023. She has always loved introducing people to the magic of flameworking and is excited to share her knowledge! 

Borosilicate Flameworking

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Evalin was first introduced to stained glass as a child, growing up in various studios, watching her mother work. During the pandemic she left her career as a pastry chef and began following her mother’s footsteps and working in the stained glass industry full time. She specializes in historical restoration and traditional glass painting. She is passionate about preserving the work of bygone craftsmen and is so excited to share her love of traditional stained glass. Evalin’s work explores deconstructing a medium traditionally reserved for sacred spaces, and what veneration can look like.

Stained Glass

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Brad is a lifetime learner with multiple interests and creative reinventions. Woodworking, blacksmithing, copper chasing/repousse, and bronze casting are all part of his creative tool kit. His approach to teaching and learning is for students to select projects that are personally interesting and dive in. No matter where a student’s artistic interests lie, it’s the practice of moving hot metal that is important and seeing the results of using simple tools like the hammer and anvil to change form, and move mass and volume. His philosophy for teaching blacksmith classes is to focus on five basic processes: drawing and tapering, slitting and punching, bending, twisting, and upsetting.  

Blacksmithing

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Gretchen is an artist and metal fabricator with an enthusiasm for sharing the craft. She has been working in metal for about a decade and holds a Minnesota historical boiler license. Some favorite projects include: a fold-out aluminum bicycle trailer for the Hennepin Library, the Southside Battletrain human powered ferris wheel, and a set of railings made from grain elevator trolley rail. She currently works as half of Carlyle Industries in North Minneapolis.

Blacksmithing

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Crystal has been creating copper enamel & silver art for more than 15 years, as well as teaching various jewelry-making workshops for more than 10 years. She is energized by motivating others to manifest their artistic visions and creativity within. Crystal centers her approach to teaching in relationships, growth and intuition. Identifying as mixed-Chicana, she humbly explores the intersection of her identities, experiences and artistic process. Follow and connect through Crystal Celeste Studio.

Jewelry

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Becca is a Queer, Female Artist living with Physical Disabilities and Mental Illness. Each of these identities informs the art she creates and the advocacy work she is involved in. She is passionate about contributing to the inclusivity, accessibility, and equitability within arts organizations and spaces. She believes art is for all and is honored to help make that possible.

Blacksmithing & Welding

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Helene started her blacksmithing journey in Madison, WI at the tender age of thirteen, when she decided she wanted to craft a sword. She did so with questionable results. She then worked with some local smiths, and did a fair amount of experimenting in her off time learning the tricks of the trade. She journeyed to Charleston, SC in 2018 to refine her craft at The American College of the Building Arts. There, she learned historic styles and techniques from the middle ages to the 21st century that she molded into her own brand of dark whimsy. After leaving the lowcountry, she worked in many different types of blacksmithing shops in the Midwest and New England before returning to Minnesota. She brings a breadth of expertise and unending passion for the craft to her lessons, and always keeps in mind that blacksmithing is not just a craft: It is magic.

Blacksmithing

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Gaea is a multi-disciplinary artist with too many degrees that don't relate to her current careers. Her first blacksmithing class was from Heather, before CAFAC existed. In 2019, she taught herself to weld and lit her shop floor on fire. She decided she needed some instruction and since then, she has orbited CAFAC as a student, volunteer, artist, and instructor. Gaea's curiosity and playfulness lead her down whatever creative path looks most interesting, a tendency which leads to great stories if not great art. Gaea has been teaching at CAFAC since 2023 and hope to continue for awhile longer. 

Blacksmithing

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Mary Ila creates art glass beads inspired by the colors, textures and patterns that surround her in the natural and human-made landscape. She captures these influences, working each unique piece by hand using traditional methods. She finds joy in witnessing the aha moment when students are able to read the honey consistency of molten glass to explore glass creations of their own. She is primarily self-taught but has studied with Kristina Logan, Aja Vaz, and Holly Cooper. She exhibits at regional art shows including the St Anthony Park Art Fair, Grand Marais Arts Festival and the Powderhorn Art Fair.

Glass Lampworking

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Tamiko is a multidisciplinary creative with a background in dance performance and choreography for over 20 years. Her expansion in handcrafted crystal vibrational adornments began in 2010. She then expanded her private sound practice to public service in 2020 amid the uprising from the murder of George Floyd. Her mission is to share the power of natural healing through the senses, layering crystal healing and sound healing, in collaboration with the community. She has been a student and teacher at CAFAC since 2021, teaching free form wire wrapping. Her vibrationally charged work is featured at CAFAC’s Nokomis Gallery.

Jewelry

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Pete is a local artist and blacksmith with a passion for DIY ethics and sharing knowledge to empower community. Pete runs his own metalworking business in south Minneapolis, where he crafts custom commissions using various metals and woods to create unique pieces of art and functional furniture. As an instructor, he is dedicated to ensuring everyone is respected and is met where they're at, regardless of skill level or learning style.

Blacksmithing

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Jordan is a multi-disciplinary artist based in the Twin Cities. Bridging spirit aspirations and connections to earthly transformations and expressions - Jordan’s work reflects realities and explores cosmic and elemental energies through abstract and surrealist painting, murals, iconography, sculpture, collage, textile, mixed media, and sonic art. Jordan is a community/teaching artist, a founding member of the Power of Vision mural project and Creatives After Curfew mural collective, as well as a member of the Million Artist Movement and Voice of Culture. He is also the creator of Ancestral Aspects Adornment.

Enameling

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Linda holds a MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BFA from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She received an Individual Fellowship Award from the Wisconsin Arts Board, was an active member of MetalPeople Studio in Madison, WI and visiting instructor at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater and Madison, and Milwaukee Area Technical College. Her experiences led her to accept a position as Metals Department Head at the Worcester Center for MA, where she was presented with the Barrett Morgan Award for exemplary leadership and teaching. To be closer to aging parents, Linda moved to Minnesota and for seven years directed a comprehensive education program for a non-profit arts organization. She has since returned to her studio practice and teaching. Her artwork is exhibited and collected nationally.

Jewelry

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John started taking blacksmithing and welding classes at CAFAC after retiring from decades as an Engineering and Manufacturing executive. Also a lifelong woodworker, his interests include incorporating metalworking in furniture design as well as making woodworking tools like chisels, drawknives and gouges. He is an active volunteer and enjoys random acts of repair and rebuilding pieces of equipment.

Blacksmithing

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Annemarie Rose is a multidisciplinary artist driven by a desire both to teach and learn within her community. Since 2020, Annemarie has been instructing stained glass courses in Minneapolis, ranging from beginner to advanced-level projects. In addition to stained glass classes, she also offers soft soldering jewelry and glass etching workshops at CAFAC. Annemarie is drawn to pursuits that challenge and inspire her. Embracing the complementary roles of teacher and student, she is devoted to exploring new skills and mediums which help foster an ever-evolving creative mindset. She believes that staying curious and being willing to learn are essential elements of any artist's journey — a philosophy that is intrinsic to her passion for teaching.

Stained Glass & Jewelry

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Laura is a jewelry artist, teacher, and crafter that has been making silver jewelry for more than thirty 30 years. She has been teaching in the Minneapolis area for 20 years, with a focus on PMC and fused glass.  As an instructor she loves to share her knowledge and is inspired by the new ideas her students create. After spending many years in retail as a visual merchandiser, she's returning to her roots in traditional silversmithing and has made teaching her full-time endeavor, including helping with the launch of the new jewelry program at CAFAC.

Jewelry

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Roger has a BFA from UW-Stout, with a concentration in Interior Design. He has been teaching for the last 6 years, assisting students in the creative design process to resolve clients' needs. Roger's exploration of sculptural welding began several years ago, and as an instructor, he finds inspiration in observing the unique way others create objects and resolve problems as they acquire new skills.

Welding

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Heather is a Founder & Artistic Director of the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center (CAFAC) She  has been inspired by fire as a creative and empowering tool since her first industrial arts class in high school. After working in industry as a welder, fabricator, and product designer, she became a fire arts educator in 2003 and developed a sculptural welding and blacksmithing program at Minneapolis Community & Technical College. At CAFAC, she continues her work as an educator and mentor in sculptural welding, blacksmithing, enameling and public art.  She served on the Minneapolis Arts Commission and continues to contribute to the creative sector through educational partnerships, sculpture fabrication, and emerging artist mentorship.

Blacksmithing, Enameling, & Welding

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Samael is an artist and educator with a passion for sharing their myriad skills with others. They have an MFA from Alfred University in Sculpture/Dimensional Studies, and have been teaching stained glass at CAFAC since spring of 2022. They love learning new skills and teaching them to others, and stained glass is their current favorite medium for making three-dimensional work. They delight in seeing their students grow in confidence and skill, and approach teaching with the goal of helping students make art and have fun.

Stained Glass & Glass Flameworking

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Brighton is a sculptor, educator and art fabricator living and working in South Minneapolis. Their interdisciplinary practice focuses on sculpture and gallery installation, community engaged projects, and public art primarily utilizing metal working and reinterpreted found objects. McCormick has a BFA from the University of Minnesota and an MFA from the University of Washington. They are currently teaching at the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, they are a visiting faculty member at Hamline University in Sculpture, and the founder of Fire Press Library. Current exhibitions include Stevens Point Sculpture Park and the Minneapolis Convention Center. McCormick is a 2024 Next Step Grant recipient.

Metal Casting

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Andrew is a metal fabricator and designer. With a lifelong interest in interior design and furniture, he's always been mechanically inclined and has learned a lot by deconstructing and reverse engineering. He earned a degree in welding at MCTC and has worked in the industry for a number of years, learning tricks of the trade and honing his craft.

Welding

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Lee has seven years of blacksmithing and metalwork experience and has trained at CAFAC, North House Folk School, The Guild of Metalsmiths, Saint Paul College, and The Hack Factory. He is an instructor with The Guild of Metalsmiths and volunteers at the Minnesota Transportation Museum, where he contributes to blacksmithing and fabrication projects. Lee values collaboration and enjoys working with others to create, restore, and teach. His dedication to craftsmanship and community drives his passion for preserving and sharing the art of metalwork.

Blacksmithing

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Jess has been exploring art her entire life and was introduced to her first fire art form, cast metal, as a teenager. She has been teaching and creating with the cast metal professionally for the past decade following completion of degrees in Studio Arts and Art History from the University of Minnesota. Jess joined CAFAC in 2011 as a volunteer and has since broadened her love of the fire arts to include many processes which she enjoys mixing with non-fire related techniques. Jess is a teacher to her core and loves sharing her passion for creating with others and seeing the joy of possibility in her students’ eyes as they learn new skills. She also delights in bringing unique creative opportunities to unusual places and working with non-traditional creators, by offering education and art-making experiences in communities with her bicycle-transported "Pedal to the Metal" art engagement tools.

Metal Casting, Encaustic, Enameling & Blacksmithing

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Carly Marie Odegard is a multidisciplinary artist from Minnesota. Her sculptural and installation-based work integrates organic materials, cast metal, blacksmithing, glass, and fabrication.  She holds a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities and an MFA in Sculpture and Metal Processes from Fort Hays State University in Kansas.

Carly believes in the transformative power of shared knowledge and she creates spaces where students can explore and express themselves through fire-based processes. Her teaching emphasizes collaboration, collective learning, and the empowerment that comes from working together to shape both material and community. You can view her work at www.artbycarly.com.

Blacksmithing & Welding

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Dan's earliest memory is of stumbling into his grandfather’s blacksmith shop when he was two years old and becoming so mesmerized that his father had to drag him out kicking and screaming. His fascination with metalworking continued through high school, where he became the shop teacher’s assistant, and into his first job out of technical college in the largest machine shop in St. Paul. He started building his blacksmithing practice 25 years ago and is a member of the Guild of Metalsmiths through which he’s taught various blacksmithing classes.

Blacksmithing

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Wayne is a Professor Emeritus from the University of Minnesota Art Department with more than 50 years of metal casting experience. Potratz's expertise includes Meso-American, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and Western African metal casting methodologies, as well as historical Western technologies and contemporary materials practice. His work in cast bronze, iron, and aluminum has been exhibited nationally and internationally and can be seen at www.ironwain.com. Wayne maintains a studio in Minneapolis, where he continues to study contemporary art, sculpture, and metal smelting and casting technologies.

Metal Casting

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Erin earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree from Cal State Long Beach in 2009 and has been a passionate metal arts instructor for over a decade. She is also a dedicated crazy cat person, lover of mid-century modern design, and aviation enthusiast which are all themes often represented in her work. Her work in enamel blends jewelry-making with photo to create beautiful, finely-detailed pieces that are accessible to beginners to create.

Jewelry

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Cassi is a sculptural artist from Minnesota with over 10 years of experience in fabrication and cast metal art. A former Stoker (2015-2018), she returns to CAFAC with a mission of empowerment through education. Received her formative education from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (BFA 2015) and Fort Hays State University (MFA 2023), is a former professor of sculpture at Western Kentucky University, a fellow of Franconia Sculpture Park and Western North Carolina Sculpture center, and served as an apprentice for the National Ornamental Metal Museum.

Metal Casting

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Jim is a jack-of-all-trades with decades of experience in woodworking and construction, who discovered his passion for metalworking right here at CAFAC. Jim attributes his love for craftsmanship in part to his grandfather, whose favorite saying was: “you can learn something new every day of your life.” He also learned many important life lessons during his 38-year career with the military traveling the world; most importantly, we are all human and should always treat one another with dignity and respect. It’s Jim’s mission to share the positive experiences and wisdom he has gained along the journey.

Blacksmithing

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CRICE is a Minneapolis College of Art and Design alumni from Southside Minneapolis. He gains his inspiration from Hip-Hop as well as history and nature. His practice uses art to document the issues and motifs of pan-Africanist realities across space and time. His work seeks to transport the viewer in order to comment on the exploitation of the Black identity and to reflect on personal experiences within a euro-centric society. One of his main goals within art is to bridge the gap between the more established art scene and under represented communities of color.

Enameling

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Jhyle is a curator, contemporary jewelry artist, picture framer, and the gallery coordinator for the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center. In her curatorial practice she attempts to stretch the boundaries of the art gallery norm. Her goal is to give space to see art from different perspectives and she seeks ways to make it accessible and open to every person, providing both the artists and the viewers a safe space to connect to art and those that make it. Jhyle also believes strongly that we are always learning and each show curated is a new story to learn and grow from. Similarly, in her jewelry practice, she is always open to new experiences, techniques and forever seeks knowledge on how to create works as environmentally sound as possible. She enjoys the process of taking “trash” and making it a wearable piece of artwork.

Jewelry

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Dani is an artist, educator, and perpetual student currently residing in South Minneapolis. Their journey through craft, however, can be traced back to East Glacier, Montana, where they worked as a professional woodcarver, creating sculptural spoons and teaching community classes for the love of it. 

Dani found herself at North House Folk School as a craft education intern, where she also began blacksmithing. She was one of CAFAC’s 2024 Studio Residents, where she developed blacksmithing curriculum with the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing community in mind. In addition to programming she has led for queer youth as lead instructor at Industrial Arts Mentorship for All, this experience has awakened a passion within her for accessible and inclusive community art education. 

Dani is currently pursuing her national certification in American Sign Language Interpreting and hopes to apply these skills as an educator, while continuing to curate spaces that everyone can feel safe to be creative within.

Blacksmithing

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Molly Sandweiss is a jewelry and metal artist originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received her BA in Studio Arts from Carleton College and her MFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from the University of Iowa, where she also spent three years as a teaching assistant. Molly’s favorite part of teaching is seeing her students’ curiosity and excitement when they connect their creative ideas with the skills they’ve practiced. In her own work, Molly focuses on expressions of neurodiversity through jewelry, armor, and mixed media. You can find her at msandweissart.com.

Jewelry

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Woody has been discovering and implementing methods of mold-making techniques primarily for the casting of metal and concrete for the past 10 plus years. After earning his MFA degree in sculpture from Fort Hays State University Woody then obtained his teaching license and taught industrial arts for a few years in Kansas. Now back in his hometown of Minneapolis he continues to work in metal fabrication as an independent contractor while also teaching and spreading the joy of creative expression. WSSG Designs is the name of his business where you can find more of his creations as well as his recent usages in 3D printing and digital design work. Woody empowers his students with a fun and supportive classroom environment that is considerate of the needs of everyone involved.

Metal Casting

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Andrea Stronghart is a Minneapolis-area artist and jewelry designer and the maker behind Stronghart Designs, where she creates a range of handcrafted jewelry spanning multiple metals and techniques. She discovered copper enameling through classes at the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center and has continued to develop her enameling practice alongside silversmithing training at Veberod. Andrea is passionate about introducing beginners to the transformative combination of fire and color, and finds that enameling’s immediate, tactile rewards make it one of the most joyful entry points into the jewelry arts.

Jewelry

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Sergey's blacksmithing journey ignited in 2021 during his inaugural class, where the first swing of the hammer captivated him. Since that transformative moment, he has passionately called CAFAC his creative home, dedicating himself to the art of blacksmithing. Focusing on creating practical objects for everyday use, such as ornate garden trellises and culinary tools, he is driven by a desire to share his knowledge and passion for blacksmithing. He believes that the preservation and proliferation of traditional crafts are vital for fostering creativity, resilience, and a deeper connection to our past.

Blacksmithing

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Lila is a neon bender and flameworker residing in Minneapolis, MN. A third generation glass artist, she has been working with glass since 2017, training at the Western Neon School of Art with some of the best benders in the country. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in ecological sciences, and went on to study forest ecology at the University of Washington. After relocating back to the Twin Cities, her work has focused on personal and ecological grief depicted in glass. Her work has been featured in galleries in Seattle and Minneapolis, private collections, and the Cafesjian Artist Trust Museum locally.

Neon

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Nicole Ringgold's work is inspired by everything she encounters in her natural surroundings – a plant, an insect, a bird's nest, natural river rocks, a sound, a glimpse, a smell. She lives in Winthrop, Washington, situated in the North Cascade mountains. Nicole is an outdoor enthusiast, gardener, wife and mother, farmer, and world wanderer. Throughout the year she teaches master silversmithing workshops in her studio and around the globe.

Nicole says, "My wearable art is hand fabricated. Many people assume that it is cast, dipped or electroformed. I start with silver sheets and wire, saw, solder, file, texture, form, oxidize and polish every piece. My intention is not to replicate the inspiration, but to recreate it with precious metal with as much detail as possible. My goal with every piece is to make the metal appear alive."

Courses taught:
Advanced Silversmithing: Inspired by the Garden

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Nestled along the rugged coastline of Mendocino, California, Brienna Hall is the creative force behind Shrine Jewelry. Operating her full-time jewelry business, Brienna also shares her expertise through workshops across northern California. With a keen eye for detail, she empowers her students to explore diverse techniques. Brienna's own creations often blend textile methods with metalwork and embrace the unique character of small-scale sand casting. Her designs fuse organic elements with modern aesthetics, imbued with hints of historical narrative. At the core of Shrine Jewelry lies the belief that each individual is a shrine deserving of meaningful adornment. Brienna encourages wearers to reflect on the intention behind their adornments, cherishing the quality and energy infused into each handmade piece.

Courses taught:
Sand Casting for Jewelers
Sand Casting with Gemstones

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Lars Mørch is a full-time blacksmith who specializes in Viking Era toolmaking. He runs Mørch’s Smedie, a tool smithy in northwest Denmark. Since childhood, history and traditional crafts have played an important role in Lars’s life. His commitment to handmade craft allows him to thrive in his rural lifestyle. Forging steel to create hand tools combines his passion for DIY ingenuity and his work. Lars has taught forging classes for many years, sharing the joy and challenges of this craft with others and focusing on process rather than finished product. His hope is to inspire students to forge further on their own.

Courses taught:
Forged Knife Blades for Beginners
Traditional Forging Techniques: Tong-Making

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Johan Säfström is a traditional blacksmith holding a journeyman’s certificate in the blacksmith trade and is one of two blacksmith head teachers at Sätergläntan. During his education, he himself attended Sätergläntan and also the Järnakademien. Johan has a great passion for traditional crafts, history and ancient technology. When he is not doing crafts or teaching, he likes to be out in nature hiking in the forest or canoeing.

Courses taught:
Blacksmithing Project Shop: Forging and Using a Viking Fire Steel

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