IRON – FALL CONCENTRATION
SEPTEMBER 29 – NOVEMBER 8, 2024 (6 weeks)

James (Coop) Cooper
Moving and Shaping Iron

This workshop will explore the plasticity of iron. Forging at the anvil and using machines, we will employ basic forging techniques to create simple and complex sculptural objects. We will begin with simple exercises, developing a vocabulary and an understanding of how iron moves under the hammer. As confidence increases, we will explore form and volume, developing ideas into designs. 

Students will be encouraged to incorporate natural materials, such as stone or wood, with a thought toward physical and visual balance. Expect field trips to the scrap yard and into the forest in search of materials and inspiration. We will explore color through paint, patina, tinted waxes, and vitreous enamels. There will be regular demonstrations and individual instruction throughout the workshop. Forging iron is physically demanding; please come with a desire to work hard and a playful spirit. All levels. 

Studio artist; former artist-in-residence and conservator at The Metal Museum (TN); teaching: The Metal Museum (TN), Appalachian Center for Craft (TN), Penland; public art: City Center Park (NC), Birmingham Botanical Garden (AL), Emory Children’s Hospital (Atlanta), Wildacres Retreat (NC); galleries: Penland Gallery, Mica Gallery (NC). 

cricketscove.net | @cricketsforge

 

Scholarship application deadline extended to April 19
Regular enrollment opens May 1