Date: Fri 30-Jul-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

blacksmith-Forge-Havill

Full Text:

Brookfield Is Now Home To Northeast's Newest Blacksmith Studio

(with cut)

BROOKFIELD -- The Good Forge, a brand-new blacksmithing studio at Brookfield

Craft Center, is expected to become one of the most important sites for

artistic blacksmithing and forging in the Northeast, according to Jeff Havill.

A working blacksmith with his own company, Mr Havill has been teaching

blacksmithing at the craft center since 1980 and also serves on its board of

trustees as president.

"The new studio will dramatically expand our educational programs in forging,

which have always had a waiting list," said Kristin Muller, the craft center's

head of program development. "Previously, we could only offer blacksmithing

workshops once a month and we could not accommodate the demand.

"Now we can teach not only basic blacksmithing, but also more advanced classes

and special projects such as welding," Ms Muller said. "I'm looking forward to

holding weekly classes as well as recruiting more nationally-known forging

artists." In addition to Mr Havill, the craft center has two other master

teachers in its blacksmithing faculty, Bill Senseney and Michael Saari.

The new blacksmithing studio has been constructed on a hill behind the Pottery

Studio overlooking the river. It was built by Glen Hochstetter of Hammersmith,

Inc., of Bridgewater.

Encompassing about 380 square feet, the 16 by 24-foot facility is traditional

in style: It is a wood structure with vertical barn siding. It has been

painted barn red to fit in with the vintage campus buildings, some of which

date from 1780 when the riverside location was the site of a working grist

mill.

"Our design was dictated by Jeff Havill's needs, what he envisioned as the

ideal blacksmith shop," said Mr Hochstetter.

"It is an open, utilitarian structure with the traditional coal burner and

chimneys," he continued. "There will be room for both traditional and creative

blacksmithing, such as ornamental ironwork. Six students and a teacher can

work at one time." Mr Hochstetter, a craft center board member, was assisted

by several volunteers and the center's board chairman, Bruce Wallace, in the

construction of the building.

The new blacksmithing studio has long been a dream of Mr Havill.

"I've felt for many years that we needed a permanent facility for

blacksmithing, a place devoted specifically to the art of forged iron," he

said. "But I have held out for a really first-rate shop. Our program is unique

and our weekend workshops have already been attracting students from as far as

New Jersey.

"I think this new facility will become extremely significant in the Northeast

region. It will really give a home to blacksmithing."

The shop will teach the traditional way of forging, which Mr Havill describes

as the art of heating and striking or molding malleable hot iron with a

hammer. The iron is heated in a forge -- a hearth with a contained charcoal

fire which is very hot.

"The striking is not a matter of banging the iron, but rather gently molding

and forming. It's a very hands-on process. The blacksmith is intimately

involved in the characteristics of the metal and gives it a hand wrought

look," explained Mr Havill.

The Good Forge was named for Carol Good Donahue, a former Brookfield Craft

Center board member and former board president who offered to finance the

project, bringing Mr Havill's vision to reality.

"It's been very exciting to see the building take shape," said Mrs Donahue,

who has taken a variety of courses at the center over the years. "I'm not

personally involved in blacksmithing, but I like to be part of making

something happen, something important for the craft center.

"My association with the center has been one of the most rewarding things I've

ever done. I love to meet the artists, see the creativity and learn how

everything is made. When I heard talk of the need for a blacksmith studio, I

asked where the nearest forge was, and found there was virtually nothing of

this scale in the region.

"This was an opportunity for the craft center to fill a niche, and I decided

that whatever we did, it should be the best of its kind. The studio is

functional and simple in design. It fits into the landscape and relates to the

vintage campus buildings," continued Mrs Donahue.

"The new blacksmithing studio is historically significant," said Jack Russell,

executive director of Brookfield Craft Center. Brookfield used to be a center

for iron working, and the ironworks were in the center of town, near the

former mill where the craft center is located, he explained.

"On Route 25, the first road past the craft center is called Iron Works Hill,"

Mr Russell said. "The Good Forge will serve as a focus for those interested in

promoting and preserving this ancient art form."

Founded in 1954, Brookfield Craft Center is one of only a dozen or so

nationally recognized non-academic schools for professional craft education,

and the only such facility in southern New England. In 1982 the center

received the Connecticut Arts Award, the state's highest recognition of

excellence in the arts. Over 400 courses and workshops are offered annually in

the center's five buildings, which include seven professionally-equipped

teaching studios.

Brookfield Craft Center is on the Still River at Halfway Falls on Route 25,

near the four corners intersection with Route 7/202 in Brookfield. Its

galleries are open daily.

Program information or additional details concerning the blacksmith studio are

available by calling 775-4526 or visit the Web site at

info@brookfieldcraftcenter.org.