The Kentucky Forge Council and the Kentucky Museum invited WKU students and Bowling Green community members to attend its annual “Hammer-In” metalworking celebration Saturday on the museum’s front lawn. 

“Hammer-In” is a free, family-friendly event full of a variety of activities including forge and basic forge skills demonstrations, tinsmithing demonstrations and an aluminum pour demonstration where attendees could pay to make their own pour.

There were also several vendors at “Hammer-In” who sold swords, knives and other hand-crafted metalwork from their organizations. Big T’s Bar-B-Cue Food Truck also had items for attendants to purchase.

Brent Bjorkman, the director of the Kentucky Museum and the Kentucky Folklife Program, began by introducing Camille Acosta, a folklife specialist, who presented the “Narrative Stage” portion of the event. Metalworking specialists and demonstrators answered several questions from Acosta in front of an audience to help others better understand their stories and experiences in metalworking.

The featured demonstrator of the event, Rob Robinson of Sand and Steel, President of the Appalachian Area Chapter of Blacksmiths, specializes in 18th century and historical ironworking. Robinson said that he had been blacksmithing for over 30 years and showed the audience how to make the Kentucky Double Bit Ax during his demonstration.

Acosta asked collaborators why they believed events like “Hammer-In” are important to have in the community.

“It’s a way to share what you’ve learned and to try to inspire other people to either pick up what you do or to inspire them to go find their own means of expression, whether it’s through ironwork, or fiber arts or clay,” Robinson said. “It’s just kind of giving back some of what you’ve learned and what you’ve been taught over the years.”

Acosta asked the panel what advice they would give to those just starting metalworking.

Eleanor Davidson, a member of the Kentucky Forge Council since 2017, is an artist and fabricator based in Bowling Green. Davidson told Acosta failing is the best way to learn.

“A lot of trying involves failing, and that’s the best way to learn,” Davidson said. “Just do things over and over, and make mistakes and learn from those mistakes.”

After Acosta finished asking her questions, she let the audience ask the panel any questions they had. One audience member asked what “endgame” or goal these professionals had through pursuing metalworking.

Cassie Rebman, instructor of Sculpture and a studio technician at WKU, said her goal of becoming a collegiate instructor “stems from wanting to foster the type of empowerment” that she feels when working with these processes. She also said she wanted to help others facilitate their own empowerment in those processes as well.

“Even if someone doesn’t go into the trade, the life experience that they get of being able to build something can do so much for their sense of self-actualization and the way they interact with the world because, you know, there’s a whole world around us that we should be actively engaging in.”

“Hammer-In” was presented in partnership with the Kentucky Folklife Program and WKU’s League of Sculptors, sanctioned by the Appalachian Area Chapter of Blacksmiths, according to WKU News. 

Kristina Arnold, head professor of the WKU Department of Art and Design and advisor of WKU’s League of Sculptors, discussed in an interview with the Herald her involvement as a member of the Kentucky Forge Council, the area chapter of Blacksmiths founded in 2016. Arnold said her husband was one of the founders of the organization.

“They’re [The Kentucky Forge Council] really interested in making sure the next generation learns and are excited about talking with their hands and knowing how to make the things we use every day,” Arnold said.

Maria Boggess, sophomore sculpture major and League of Sculptors member, helped run a booth at the “Hammer-In” event where participants carved designs into sand blocks and took home their creations after aluminum was poured into them. Attendants had the choice of different priced molds, including two halves of a heart mold for best friends, a bowl-shaped mold and a regular rectangular mold.

“The idea is you’re scratching your design like a mirror to what your final will be into blocks of sand,” Boggess said. “We plan to be here next year and do a bunch of events throughout the year with the Kentucky College Council. We do things like this at our club meetings too, so there’s multiple opportunities throughout the year to do stuff like this.”

News Reporter Abigail Vickers can be contacted at [email protected].

Photos: ‘Hammer-In’ metalworking celebration held at Kentucky Museum