ABANA’s national curriculum and certification help set course for future smiths

by ABANA education committee and Janie Grela, ABANA Executive Director

This year has been a year of development for the Artist-Blacksmith Association of North America.

ABANA is the primary national organization for blacksmiths and has perpetuated the noble art of blacksmithing for nearly 50 years. Established in 1973 by a group of smiths who recognized that the skills and traditions of blacksmithing needed to be preserved and passed on through teaching.

ABANA's new international headquarters
in Johnstown, Pennsylvania

ABANA membership is now more than 3,100 strong and more than 50 affiliates all over the country and also representing members in thirty-two countries.

In the spirit of ABANA’s founding vision, the association is embarking on a new endeavor: the ABANA National Curriculum.

Launching the curriculum

ABANA Education Committee Co-chair, Doug Eichert, visited Southern California in 2018 and was impressed with educational offerings that the California Blacksmith Association (CBA) provided to their membership.

“I remember doing research about blacksmithing in California before my visit,” Eichert recalls. “I saw Vista Forge teaching Levels I-III of the CBA curriculum and I was thinking, why don’t the rest of the affiliates have something like this to offer?”

While there, Eichert struck for John Williams while he was demonstrating at a CBA workshop. Williams, who is from California, was already participating in the CBA’s curriculum at that time. When both were appointed to the ABANA board of directors in 2019 they had already developed a good working rapport with each other.

From the outset, Williams was outspoken about fully adopting the CBA curriculum at a national level. He joined Eichert as Co-chair of the Education Committee, and they immediately started working out how to incorporate what the CBA was doing but on a national level. They remained mindful of how ABANA was best able to serve its membership and affiliates and so they constructed a strategy and stated their case.

ABANA President C. Leigh Morrell and the executive committee agreed, recognizing the importance of sharing a successful and practical working curriculum with members, affiliates, and the blacksmithing world at large.

Adopting an affiliate’s approach

The education committee made a motion before the board to fully adopt the CBA curriculum as the National Curriculum, which passed unanimously. This was made possible with the help and generosity of the CBA, who have been trailblazers as an ABANA affiliate and in no small part due to Mark Aspery who developed much of the current curriculum, as well as John McLellan.

“The National Curriculum focuses the affiliated member toward the common goal of advancing one’s skill set,“ Eichert said. ABANA’s active affiliates are a dynamic part of how blacksmiths are engaged and mentored in the art form. Affiliates across the nation have partnered with ABANA to offer National Curriculum classes. The committee is also looking into the possibility of utilizing mobile classrooms to make the National Curriculum accessible to a broader audience.

Accredited instructors needed

To make all this possible, the first order of business is establishing a nationwide network of instructors over the next five years. These accredited National Curriculum instructors will teach and evaluate the progress of students during workshops and conferences across the country. 

ABANA is currently accepting applications for instructor positions. Zoom sessions will be scheduled for instructor training in the National Curriculum Level III Grille, beginning May 6 and run weekly through to September. Those interested may apply for a place by clicking here. There is a limit of 15 spaces for the training. Preference will be given to motivated and experienced smiths who are willing to teach the National Curriculum as instructors at the local affiliate, regional and national level. 

It is not required to be an ABANA member to follow the curriculum; however, being a member will have many advantages. ABANA members who complete each level will receive a certificate that recognizes their hard work and achievement. Also, members who are involved with the curriculum will have a designation on ABANA’s on-line membership directory, noting their achievements for each level attained. This directory is a searchable database that helps connect blacksmiths with opportunities such as teaching, exhibitions, continuing education, commission work and collaborations. For a smith who wants to receive National Curriculum instructor designation, ABANA membership is a prerequisite.

Perpetuating the art

There is value in creation. The ability to forge metal to yield to the vision and sophistication of one’s imaginings is a wealth gained through practice and patience. The Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America aims to stoke the aspirations of blacksmiths everywhere. The National Curriculum is a tool for the accomplished and student alike, to perpetuate the noble art of blacksmithing.

For information on becoming an ABANA member visit www.abana.org