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Sometimes described as the “hot glue gun” of steel. Learn to safely operate a wire welder (MIG) and ARC Welder. The Shop Staff has assembled an inspirational scrap pile of shapes and sizes of steel for you to create anything you can imagine!

This class teaches the fundamental skills needed to forge steel and understand how to safely and effectively use blacksmithing tools. Learn to bend, taper, twist, punch steel while you work on several small projects. Expect to take home a functional kitchen utensil and a couple of hooks. No prerequisite required. This class can be used as a prerequisite for Intermediate Blacksmithing and Sunday Open Studio. Prerequisites: None | Level: Beginner | Ages: 15+ (If minor- parent/guardian must be present) "Silver" members and above receive a 10% discount off class tuition. Call before you order to retrieve your Member Discount Code.

Welding is cool.

By Savannah Smith I am very thankful to the Metal Museum for the opportunity to go to and represent them at the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art in Berlin, Germany. I didn’t imagine going until I learned that there was a grant available to the apprentices here, without which I would not have been able to attend. This was a very special trip for me and something I will never forget. I learned a lot over the week I spent in Germany: I saw a sculpture by someone who influenced my path in metal work, expanded my community of friends and peers, was taken aback by the beautiful art in the gallery shows, listened intently during the theoretical panels, and was in awe of a fabulous bronze foundry where an iron pour was taking place. Of course, more than just those things went on during my trip that made it memorable and thought-provoking. The influence that this trip has had will inspire my work and how I interact with learning, teaching, and making art for the rest of my life. As artists who make heavy work, we know that it takes a team to bring our ideas into reality. The idea of helping, learning, and growing alongside one another was further galvanized by my experience in Berlin. Attending this conference ultimately made me more appreciative of the Metal Museum and other arts organizations like it. It is a place where everyone is welcome and wanted: artists and non-artists.

"Hope" is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul - Emily Dickinson When Blues Bird outside the Cossitt Library in Downtown Memphis was injured earlier this year, one of its wings damaged by a falling branch, the Metal Museum was at the ready, mending the new public sculpture to allow the songbird to fly high again. The piece is an original artwork designed by Portland-based firm rhiza A+D, which drew inspiration from Memphis as well as the Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy. A haven of creativity and imagination, the downtown library was the perfect place for "Blues Bird" to perch, sharing its pop-up storybook pages with passers-by. Commissioned by the City of Memphis Percent-for-Art Program with the Urban Arts Commission, "Blues Bird" invites the people to become immersed in its pages, reading words composed by Memphians young and old. After some TLC to the wing, which is around 20 times the length of an average mockingbird wing, the Metals Studios team brought it back to its original home, reaffixing the wing so Blues Bird can soar once more outside Memphis' first public library.

As a rather new employee at the Metal Museum, I have recently been exposed to a myriad of metal artwork. While I continue to learn more about this particular kind of art, it is safe to say that the Metal Arts is an incredibly unique and innovative field. Upon my arrival to the museum, the exhibition From Artisans to Artists: African American Metal Workers in Memphis was just beginning to operate in full swing. The exhibition, specially curated by the brilliant Dr. Earnestine Jenkins, quickly piqued my interest. Fortunately, the museum staff was given the opportunity to have a guided tour of the exhibit- an opportunity that I am grateful to have been offered. The artwork itself is a beautiful collection of African and African American pieces that have made statements in the metal work community. I was excited to see artwork from West Africa featured in the exhibit as I studied the art of this region during my last year of undergrad. To know that these foreign pieces could be connected to the work created by Black metalsmiths right here in Memphis was mind-blowing. With Dr. Jenkins being a proud native, it is understandable that one of the focal points of this exhibit is Black pioneers of Whitehaven. From Artisans to Artists: African American Metalworkers in Memphis offers a detailed perspective into the forgotten history of the city and the African American metal workers who greatly impacted the development of the area. The exhibit provides information on historical figures that may not have been discussed in primary school. For example, photography and biographic information is presented for Blair Hunt and David Carnes–two extraordinary blacksmiths and entrepreneurs. There is also artwork from incredible contemporary artists: Richard Hunt, Lorenzo Scruggs, Desmond Lewis, and Hawkins Bolden. I was impressed by the creative genius of each metal worker’s artistic decisions, i.e. Lewis's choice to include music as a way to enhance the meaning of his artwork. As We Come To An End... At the end of the tour, I was left in awe as I reveled in such an enlightening experience. As a young African American woman and Memphis native, I realized that From Artisans to Artists was a collection of profound work that would forever change my perspective of Memphis and the communities that have brought and continue to bring life into this city. This is an amazing exhibit and as it approaches an end on September 11, I am highly anticipating the next event where Dr. Jenkins discusses more about her research. From Artisans to Artists: Art in The Park will be held on September 10 from 10am-2pm, at David Carnes Park; this is a free community event that will commemorate the namesake exhibition a day before its closure.

HEALTH IN ENAMEL JUL. 14 – SEP. 29 2024 KEELER GALLERY Image: Michelle Startzman, Caged Necklace , 2019. Sterling silver, fine silver, copper, enamel. Gift of The Enamel Arts Foundation. Metal Museum 2023.26.80 Themes of health, healing, and spirituality crystallize with a survey of current enamel holdings in the Metal Museum’s permanent collection. The exhibition features a series of recent acquisitions, in addition to examples long familiar to the Metal Museum collection and community. Featured are Martha Banyas’ twelve panel “Valley and Shadow” series, which chronicled the artist’s journey through cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery using southeast Asian religious symbolism. Yet unexhibited copper engravings from Dorothy Sturm’s background in medical illustration give context to her biomorphic abstract forms in her later enameled panels. In addition, newly acquired works by artists such as Michelle Startzman, Andrew Kuebeck, and Hosanna Rubio explore topics of illness, healing, and religious beliefs. Image: Helen Dorion, Cellula Decoris . Copper, enamel, beads. Image: Harlan Butt, For Martha . Copper, silver, enamel. Image: Marianne Goodell, I Don’t Belong Here . Copper, enamel. The exhibition will also include over 100 examples of enameled copper squares submitted by artists from around the world. In memory of Martha Banyas and in celebration of the recent growth in our enamel holdings, the Metal Museum invited artists to participate in an Enameled Community Quilt. The project echoes the spirit and intentions behind the AIDS Memorial Quilt project, first displayed to the public in 1987, and recent Cancer Quilt projects. Our community quilt project encourages enamel artists, museum visitors, and students to explore and grow in their shared expressions of health issues, spirituality, and the body. With Martha’s exploration of her own cancer diagnosis and healing in her Valley and Shadow series as a source of inspiration, we invite artists to submit enameled squares that express their own perspectives or experiences related to health, spirituality, and the body. To see examples of the enameled quilt squares: CLICK HERE OPENING RECEPTION JUL. 14 | 3–5PM Join us for an opening reception – please RSVP below: RSVP

CURRENT BRANCHING OUT FEB. 18 – SEP. 8, 2024 LEARN MORE SIGN UP FOR A CLASS to learn metalsmithing techniques TAKE A DEEP DIVE into the metals field UPCOMING EVENTS See what events are coming up SIGN UP for monthly updates and news BE THE SPARK Create a new Metal Arts center in the heart of Memphis *Metals Studios demonstrations will be cancelled during an active heat advisory.

EXHIBITIONS CURRENT | UPCOMING | PAST NO PLACE LIKE HOME MAY 1 – JUN. 2, 2024 Varied perspectives, techniques, and themes from queer artists in the metals community remind the viewer of the complexity and contradictions behind the mantra, “there’s no place like home.” LEARN MORE HEALTH IN ENAMEL JUL. 14 – SEP. 29, 2024 Themes of health, healing, and spirituality crystallize with a survey of current enamel holdings in the Metal Museum’s permanent collection and a community-based quilt project. LEARN MORE The Metal Museum is committed to fostering diversity and a spirit of inclusiveness. Find our Diversity Statement here .