State of an art

[Neil Blythin]

I've actually been looking at that issue (professional / occupational standards) recently.  It seems to be something that's lacking across the board.  I know the Brits had developed standards for restoration blacksmithing, and I thought they were working on it for non-restoration work as well.  We have nothing for it here in Ontario.

[Stephen Olivo]

They took away most of our shop classes, "traditional art classes"  and many other things in schools here in the U.S.  I didn't even have the chance at a shop class in high school.  Introducing kids at  young ages to the options out there has diminished with the years and this sort of hands on thing has been the first to be droped.  Not to mention those of us not in the first part of the alphabet don't get many choices as to classes to persue.  Took me all 4 years to get into a drawing class.   I was sad that I never had the choice but there are many big problems with the schooling here and the blacksmithing in school is only one of many signs of very large problems. 

 

sorry ranting..

[forging-fool]

Neil, I was talking about the start-up and running coasts of a small forge as apposed to ceramics and glass. Blacksmithing come in at about a third of the costs compared to them, yet far more art colleges have ceramic and glass departments than forge departments. So it would seem from those facts that cost is not as big a factor as we all think. It is more likely that reason blacksmiths aren't present in these institutions is down to how we blacksmiths have promoted and pushed our craft/art form.