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Rome.Hutchings

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Posts posted by Rome.Hutchings


  1. I followed up with an email to the head of ABANA and he couldn't even be bothered replying and telling me to go to xxxx (though they still flood me with unwanted emails).

    Jim Dunning


    Jim, just who did you contact as the "Head of ABANA", this is the first I have heard on this discussion. Don't be shy man, name names! This idea is a good one, are there any volunteers? Myself, I have been working on getting the archives of the Anvil's Ring scanned and those of you who are ABANA members may have received the CD.............free as a way to say "Thanks" for renewing your membership.

    All of these great ideas take time for some poor volunteer to do in their spare time, while their day to day "real life" continues going on.......such as trying to make bread and milk appear in the fridge on a regular basis.

    Think about this, not one single ABANA Board Member gets paid for what they do, its all for the "Love of the Craft"

    Best Regards to all,

    Rome H. Hutchings, 2nd Vice President
    "Volunteer Member Board of Directors"
    Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America
    The Prairie Forge
    13633 Ferman Ave NW
    Clearwater, MN 55320
    (763) 878-1694 Home
    (763) 482-1181 Cell
    (763) 878-1720 Fax
    rome@abana.org
  2. The Bi-annual Conference for the Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America (ABANA) will kick-off on June 2 and continue thru June 5, 2010 at the AgriCenter International in Memphis, Tennessee. More than 1,000 professionals, amateurs, and artists will gather for this unique event offering active involvement and exposure to blacksmithing skills.

    This premiere conference will host artist demonstrators from the U.S. such as Dan Boone, who will demonstrate making his products, including his signature candlesticks with dragon head accents; Darryl Nelson will demonstrate the techniques of direct sculpture in steel with animal heads as his subject; Mark Aspery will run the “Green Coal” teaching station for aspiring smiths; Phil Cox and Steve Parker will demonstrate power hammer tools complementing each other. Other noted artists include Joe Anderson, Dan Nauman, and Tom Latane, as well as International master artists, Shelley Thomas, England, and Amit Har-Lev and Tsur Sadan from Israel. All demonstrations will take place at the AgriCenter International.

    There will be tailgaters offering a variety of artistic wares, tools galore and more stuff that you might need, plus indoor and outdoor vendors.

    The Keynote Address will be delivered by Carissa Hussong, executive director of the National Ornamental Metal Museum (NOMM), and Jim Wallace, the museum’s first director. This duet address promises to be inspiring and thought provoking.

    This year the National Ornamental Metal Museum has invited ABANA attendees to visit their Memphis Museum for IRON: Twenty Ten, a Juried Exhibition of American Blacksmithing, which will be on display May 29 thru July 19, 2010. A “special” viewing and reception for ABANA conference attendees will be held on Thursday evening, June 3, from 6-9pm.

    Daily passes will be available for the general public. The Amphitheatre is open to the public free of charge on Saturday evening, June 5, 2010, for a Live Auction event, featuring many artistic works of well-known blacksmiths.

    New this year is a Poster Gallery where you will be able to see the design elements incorporated into complete works and appreciate the design principles. The Slide Wars event will enable attendees to view PowerPoint presentations of works of many artists in varied styles and approaches in a short period of time.

    Professional seminars and sessions include best practices for digitally photographing metal works; business of craft roundtables; free hand drawing for blacksmiths, and much more. On Friday evening starting at 6pm the ABANA Gallery opens with a “Meet the Artist” reception and continues to 9pm. The Gallery will also be open from 9am to 6pm on Saturday, June 5.

    Register now and take advantage of the low rates by calling the ABANA Central Office at 703-680-1632 to request a registration form or to register by phone.

    post-2102-12654783231621_thumb.jpg

  3. Mr Boggs, I spend 3-4 hours per evening working for the future, serving the needs of
    the day and all the while remembering the link with our past. You have some valid
    points, these things do not happen overnight. I'm a volunteer, and as such entitled
    to some free time of my own. How ever some people may view ABANA, is up to them,
    isn't what living in a free country is all about. Oh, I forgot to say that I've only been
    doing this since November 15th, 2007........I think that's like three weeks, OK.

    Speaking only for myself and not for ABANA, there are many things in this world that
    bother me, most of those things I can do very little to change. As for the things I
    can change, or make a difference in, those are the things I put my effort into. If you
    could wear my shoes for a day, I believe you would know a different outlook.

    Where am I going with all this? Well........I noticed that you have volunteered to
    help Bob Bergman on the Journeyman's Program Committee, my hat is off to you.

    Bob and Dan have the list of over 100 people who have volunteered to help this
    program.......Peter Ross, Nol Putnam, Tom Latane, Caleb Kullman, Bruce MacMillan,
    and the list goes on, Jonathan Nedbor, and yes Gerald Boggs....this is you isn't it.

  4. All, many of you may not know this, but ABANA does have
    and will continue to develop, educational/training programs.

    At present, and as a direct result of the ABANA Survey, we
    are reinvigorating the Journeyman Program. Bob Bergman is
    the chairman and originator of this program, Dan Nauman is
    on this committee and there will be others named to this
    program committee soon.

    The Controlled Hand Forging lesson series is the handywork
    of Dan Nauman, Jay Close, Tom Latane, Peter Ross, Tal Harris,
    Bill Callaway, Derick Glaser, Bob Fredell, Doug Wilson, and
    myself as ABANA Board member.

    You can find out more about this link:

    [ABANA] Controlled Hand Forging

    Presently there are lessons 1 thru 15 posted and soon we
    will have updated them thru lesson 21. These lessons are
    a valuable resource for those who want to learn.

    As for the Journeyman Program, it will over time incorporate
    the fundimentals of Controlled Hand Forging and provide
    a networking resource for those seeking a career path and
    the shop owner seeking qualified employees

    Stay Tuned, ABANA is on the move and I hope you will join
    us in uniting the Blacksmithing Community! Please check out
    the [ABANA] The Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America, Inc. home page for an exciting educational offer.

    With all "New" or "Expired and Renewed" Memberships, mail in
    only offer, you will recieve the Hammer's Blow Archive CD. This
    CD contains 26 issues in PDF format, Volume 8, No. 1 thru
    Volume 14, No. 2. That is 2000 thru 2007. You can also give
    a Holiday Gift Membership, and the new member will recieve
    the Hammer's Blow CD in addition to the ABANA Membership

    Regards,


    Rome H. Hutchings, Chairman
    ABANA Membership Services
    The Prairie Forge
    13633 Ferman Ave NW
    Clearwater, MN 55320
    (763) 878-1694
    rome.hutchings@theprairieismygarden.com

  5. I'm reading the posts here about ABANA with great interest. For those of you who
    don't know me, I have been appointed to the ABANA Board and attended the Nov.
    board meething in Memphis. All of my old ideas about who and what the ABANA
    Board is were dispelled, so I have a completely new perspective of the organization.

    First, let me say that all of the board members are "Volunteers", that includes those
    who were elected. Elected or appointed, is not of any great difference....point is
    that we are all volunteers that feel strongly about our responsibility to the ABANA
    membership.

    As for things that have happened in the past with respect to ABANA, well it's just
    that, the past. Everyone has their opinion as to what ABANA should have done, or
    what ABANA could have done in regard to these past events.

    However, now is the present, and we can't go back and fix things in the past. So
    where do we go from here, you ask? That's where the ABANA Survey comes in,
    and new communications to the Affiliates via the Yahoo group list, and the Blacksmith
    Editors group at the Yahoo group list.

    The 2008 ABANA Board is hard at work moving forward, listening to the membership,
    communicating with the membership, and most importantly of all in my mind is the
    fact that this is not just talk. It's about action, getting the ABANA website updated,
    working on improving the publications, working on a new model for ABANA Conferences
    to make it more affordable, and more accessable.

    Yes, there is a lot going on and you can help, if you have a love of the craft and
    are thinking about you might do something worthwhile for those how have shared
    their time freely with you, so that you could learn about this craft.

    I look forward to hearing from you all, and working to improve what ABANA's mission
    is, for the benefit of all who love blacksmithing.

    Regards to all!

    Rome Hutchings, Chair
    ABANA Member Services
    rome.hutchings@theprairieismygarden.com

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