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We gave this question a little thought before heading to the Net. Since the traditional art of hand-forged metalwork, "blacksmithing" for short, isn't usually offered at colleges or universities, we imagine you'll need to contact a practicing blacksmith to get advice and possibly arrange some kind of apprenticeship. To that end, we did a search using the term "blacksmith," with the firm intention of tracking down an actual metalworker. As a result, we ended up in the Yahoo! Blacksmithing category (under Arts > Crafts), where we spotted subcategories for Artists, Commercial
Blacksmithing, Organizations, and Publications, as well as several general blacksmithing sites. When confronted with these subcategories, we realized that they could each hold resources for a potential student. You could email one of the artists and ask how they learned their craft. Or check out one of the commercial sites, like the Lytton Creek Blacksmiths, to gain insights into their training practices. Organizations can yield good results as well. At the Guild of Metalsmiths, a portion of the site is dedicated specifically to education.
That's where we found a link to the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina. Click on the school's Course Listing and you'll see a long roster of blacksmithing entries. After browsing around many of these and other blacksmithing sites, it occurred to us that we might have been a little hasty to entirely rule out colleges and universities as good sources of smithing knowledge. Many fine arts programs include facilities and instruction for metal sculpture and jewelry-making. To find some, check for schools in your area that are listed in Yahoo!'s Arts Education category.
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