Even 105 Degrees Can't Slow Down this year's ABANA Conference!

Under the direction of Claudio Bottero an eight man crew forged through three sessions to bring shape to the giant sculpture he had designed.  

Moving big iron in the photo and a very short video to give a sense of the sound, and cadance, of multiple large hammers swung by a well coordinated crew.

Lenny Ledet drew a crowd for the first iron-in-the-hat drawings, a task he will happily continue Friday and Saturday.  Lenny was recognized at the opening ceremonies Thursday evening for the many years he has coordinated these drawings and for the many thousands of dollars he has brought into the ABANA scholarship program.

POMMs - the Patient Order of Meticulous Metalsmiths - also devoted the day to their project, building a Scandanavian door.  Tina Chisena was watched closely by a group as she etched finishing details in figures which will be used on the door.

The gallery reception and official opening began at 6.  Very large crowd.  Walking around the grounds we all see extraordinary works coming together, but to view so many beautiful, completed pieces in one space is a treat for the senses.  Spend some time in the gallery before you leave.

The team led by Lee Sauder, Shel Browder and Steve Mankowski who started building a smelting furnace yesterday created their first bloom today, pulling out the hot chunk of new iron about 3:30.  Another smelt will take place Friday and result in a forged axe.

As you can tell from this amazing array of activities, the 2012 ABANA Conference in Rapid City is a great place to be.

School of Mines Lecture Schedule

At this years ABANA Conference, lots of exciting things are going on at the School of Mines, so make sure not to miss those events!

The schedule highlights for the next couple days are:

Thursday
10 AM – Student Success in Blacksmithing at SDSM&T (Classroom Building – Room 204)
1 PM - Tour Metallurgy Dept
2 PM - Cocktail Napking to CAD Workshop (Classroom Building – Room 326)
2 PM - Tour Metallurgy Dept
3 PM – Tour Metallurgy Dept

Friday
10 AM – Smithbusting – Science of Blacksmithing (Classroom Building – Room 204)
1 PM - Tour Metallurgy Dept
2 PM - Steelmaking for the non-metalllurgist (Classroom Building – Room 204)
2 PM - Tour Metallurgy Dept
3 PM – Tour Metallurgy Dept

Shuttles will be running back and forth from the college to the Fairgrounds continuously and will usually leave from the Fairgrounds around 15 minutes prior to each event.

Forges, iron and conference all heat up today

There were lines at the registration desk most of today as a majority of the expected 800 attendees arrived through the day.  Demonstrators set out their equipment and tools.  Many began forging and instructing soon after the opening ceremonies were over.

Highlighting the opening ceremonies were the presentations of the Alex Bealer Award, two were given, and the Joe Humble award.  Daryl Nelson and Toby Hickman were honored by the ABANA membership for their years of contribution to blacksmithing.  Each a Bealer Award recipient.   Chris Holt was the Joe Humble winner.

A stunning table of beautifully crafted copper and silver vessels greats you in the Northwest corner of the grounds where the Abdon Punzo family is demonstrating their mastry of metal work.

At the exact opposite corner of the fairgrounds the furnace for making an iron bloom was in its first firing stages, being readied to make it's first smelt Thursday about mid-day.

Nearby Jill Turman has begun an art project which looks very much like a large wall decoration, though we didn't ask her about specifics.  You can see for yourself if you visit her demo area between one and four Thursday.

And finally, Claudio Bottero and his large team have embarked on a huge piece which they will be forging all of the day Thursday. 

Preparing the Site

The 2012 ABANA Conference is well underway for the setup crew and the demonstrators are working feverishly to finalize their preparation for the big event.

It was the day before the conference started, but Nathan "I am not an artist" Robertson had a dozen blacksmiths ringing anvils in his hammer making class.  Just so nice, as you walk onto the grounds, to see forges aglow, hear hammers pounding.

Nathan is on the right in the photo above

Take some time before you leave to head over to the Apex Gallery at the school of mining.  Ellen Durkan's exhibit looks at the hard side of women's fashion with larger-than-life wire and iron sculptures of dresses and shoes that look like they could have come out of an ancient torture chamber or off the pages of a new-age comic book.  If you need another inducement the gallery is air conditioned.

Ran into Eric Green, he of the well-tended mustache, who noted that he'd been to every conference since Albany.  We figured that went back about twenty years.  Let us know what your earliest ABANA conference was by commenting below.

Conference Gallery - Reception Tuesday July 17, 2012

The Gallery  in the Fine Arts Building at the Central States Fairgrounds will be open to the public to showcase the work of our members.

If you're attending the conference (or even if you aren't) please consider submitting an example or two of your work to the gallery.

We're not only looking for items to display but also donated items for the conference auction.

Click here to download the Gallery Application Package: Gallery Application and Agreement

There will also be a “walk-in” area along with tables will be available there for business card exchange and for participants to display their portfolios.

Apex Gallery

Located at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology will have a gallery reception on Tuesday July 17, 2012.

Ellen Durkan from Delaware will be the featured artist: EllenDurkan.com

Some examples of Ellen's Work:
    

Rapid City Area Info

Click on Map to View Full Size

Click on Map to View Full Size

ABANA 2012 Conference is almost here!

We will be at the Central States Fairgrounds in Rapid City, South Dakota this week - July 18-21, 2012

The Conference will start in: 02 Days, 20 Hours, 34 Minutes, and 51 Seconds from NOW!!! See you soon!!

Opening ceremonies will be on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 at the Central States Fairgrounds. We will also use some facilities at the adjacent South Dakota School of Mines and Technology for lectures and a focused exhibit at the Apex gallery on campus.