“From the instructor”
Using Anti-Clastic Hammer Forming for Sculptural forms, we will connect with our ancestors as we explore the basic concepts and techniques on copper: the first metal worked by humans at least 8700 years ago.* Get to know the character and control the movement of the metal using the most fundamental and direct techniques of a few hammers and stake forms.

In this class there will be opportunity to hammer form two very 3-dimensional objects from flat copper sheet, larger than jewelry scale. The second project will build upon the challenges of the first project. Beginners are welcome- only hammer control is required, and there is no soldering in this class. Experienced students can use these techniques to create more variations with instructor’s guidance, as class time permits. The skills learned can be scaled up to whatever your studio, tools and muscles can handle! As with most metalworking, preparation of the material takes time to create a clean and professional piece. After that you will be working with steel hammers for much of the two days, with coaching on safety including proper position and grip.

*“Copper, one of the few metals that occurs naturally in a usable form, was the first metal humans fashioned into tools and accessories. For nearly five thousand years—from about 9,000 to 4,000 BCE—it was the only metal worked by humankind. From northern Iraq, where a small pendant dating to about 8700 BCE was found, to the Great Lakes region, where Native American cultures were mining and working copper more than 8,500 years ago, copper’s impact was widespread and significant” – quote from Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art