Forging Kitchen Utensils: Steel and Copper with Elizabeth Belz

Use hammer and fire to create one-of-a-kind forged kitchen utensils! Students will explore the world of steel and copper to make steak flippers, spatulas, ladles, and BBQ forks ready for any cooking adventure. No experience necessary. We will start with safety and cover all the basics of blacksmithing. Come with ideas or let inspiration strike when you walk into the forge!  Elizabeth Belz is a blacksmith, educator, the owner of Black Widow Forge and is the Blacksmithing and Metals Coordinator at John C. Campbell Folk School. She was the blacksmithing apprentice at the Metal Museum in Memphis, TN for two years where she trained under master smith Jim Masterson. Elizabeth was a craft education intern at North House Folk School, a resident artist with the Science Museum of MN, a Creative Catalyst fellow and has spent a lot of time at craft and folk schools across the country. Elizabeth has shown her work, competed, and taught blacksmithing throughout the United States and internationally and has most recently finished up a year long artist residency at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Elizabeth sits on the board of the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America the largest blacksmithing community non profit dedicated to preserving and advancing blacksmithing as both a profession and a hobby. Vesterheim offers a 60% discount for in-person class tuition on a space-available standby basis to any year-round resident living within 50 miles of Vesterheim. Students will be notified about the availability of an opening in the class 21 days before the starting date of the class period. Discounts do not include materials fees. If local area residents want a guaranteed place in a class, they must pay regular class tuition. The local standby option is supported by Decorah’s Depot Outlet.