Fire and Iron

Click here for a PDF version of this article

Fire and Iron

Art and welding come together in
contemporary metalwork

NOT TOO LONG ago, blacksmiths needed an anvil and a hammer to practice their craft. At Sandersville Technical College, students in the Ornamental Ironwork certificate program are melding those traditional skills with the latest technology and contemporary creativity.

Photo of Tony Simmons “We started this program to preserve the ancient art of blacksmithing,” says Tony Simmons, lead welding instructor.

For one of their most recent hands-on projects, Simmons and a band of students crafted an ornate iron fence (1,800 feet plus three gates) for Old City Cemetery, a historic site in downtown Sandersville. The city saves on labor costs, and students learn a practical skill, Simmons says.

The benefits of this project are huge, Sandersville Tech student James
Cain says. “You get bragging rights — you can look at the gate when you
are in town and say, ‘Hey, I did that!’ And you get an employment edge. You
can tell potential employers, ‘I helped build the cemetery gate.’”

Ornamental ironwork has applications in metal gates, fences, security bars
and sculpture.

“Working on the Old City Cemetery iron fence gives our students the
practice they need to be successful,” says Sandersville Tech President
Dr. Jack Sterrett. “Ornamental ironworking takes creative talent
and good welding skills. Without programs like ours, a wonderful
occupation would be lost.”

NORTHWESTERN TECHNICAL COLLEGE student Julie Clark used to make horseshoes for a living. Now, she’s a respected metalwork artist, thanks to her studies at Northwestern Tech’s Welding and Joining Technology program.

“I create metal sculpture with steel using forging and blacksmithing techniques,” Clark says.

Clark’s sculptures include whimsical flowerpots and animals. She also crafts functional objects such as candleholders, garden railings, lamps, coffee tables and bookends. “Sometimes I buy steel, or I go to a junkyard and buy old machinery or chains for my work,” she says.

Even prior to graduation, her artistic reputation blossomed, allowing her to become active in many area galleries.

“Julie is a great example of how you can put a technical
education to use in many ways,” says Northwestern
Tech President Dr. Ray Brooks. “By taking an industrial
skill and applying it in a creative and unique way, she
has found yet another way that technical education can
pay off in a career for our students.”

Click here for a PDF version of this article