Skills for the Grille

Beth Holmberg (she/her) has taught blacksmithing for over twenty years, and has helped thousands of people make useful and decorative objects efficiently with hammer and anvil. She is inspired by historical ironwork, whether the household tools found at archaeological sites, or decorative gates and grills on old buildings. She is a frequent demonstrator at historic museums in the US and abroad; perhaps her coolest gig was forging tools, nails, and other hardware for a Viking ship reconstruction in Denmark. In her courses, Beth likes to teach solid fundamentals and good body mechanics, though interesting and useful projects. Often these projects are based on research into the historical craft of blacksmithing and the objects people used in their daily lives in various times and cultures. The goal is to provide students the ability to do as much as possible with simple tools. Beth is a Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths instructor and mentor, and a certified journeyman and instructor for both the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America and the California Blacksmiths Association. She has taught for John C. Campbell Folk School, the California Blacksmith Association, New England Blacksmiths, Maine Craft Association at Haystack, and for Forjadores Argentinos in Buenos Aires, among others. Before she became a blacksmith, she was a high school science teacher, extraterrestrial petrologist, and trained park interpreter.