Blacksmith Workshop

Blacksmith Workshop is a 1971 film by SIU’s Film Production Unit. It depicts a blacksmithing event at the Little Grassy Facilities (now Touch of Nature) in May 1970. University film catalogs describe the film: “A Blacksmith Workshop for metalsmiths and artists who normally work in silver and gold was held at Southern Illinois University. Demonstrations, conversations, and observations reveal some of the spirit and technique of the craft of blacksmithing and the serious consideration of iron as a material for the contemporary craftsman.” The workshop was led by Alex Bealer, the author of The Art of Blacksmithing. It features commentary by blacksmiths/metalsmiths L. Brent Kington, Ron Pearson, Fred Fenster, Stanley Lechtzin, and Michael Jerry, all of whom were at the event. SIU art professor L. Brent Kington hosted the event. He taught at SIU from 1961-1997 and is credited with reintroducing blacksmithing as an art form in the United States. He was an influential artist in the American Studio Craft Movement. According to the Illinois State Museum, the workshop was the first American university-based conference on blacksmithing and was attended by 60 people from throughout the United States. A researcher who prompted the digitization of this film noted, “According to Kington, ‘The interesting thing about the film is it undeniably records the birth of a medium, or the renaissance of a medium, into the American craft movement.’” Funding for digitizing this 16mm film was provided by the Friends of Morris Library.