Day Eight

Photos:
The fountain at The Metal Museum. Designed by Doug Hendrickson - aka Dr. Iron.

Today is our last day at Coro Lake Elementary. Its been tons of fun. The kids are great and so are their projects. One of the girls asked me, "Are you from a farm?" I asked when she might think so and she said "You just look like you're from a farm." I'll take that as a compliment.

The sun is shining, the snow has melted and its feeling like springtime in Michigan. However, it is still winter in the Mid-South and folks around here are groaning like we do. Its all about what you're used to.

Time is flying by and I am worried I will not get enough of this place before it is time to leave. That's quite probable, as I am still struck with the magic and wonder of the Metal Museum, its Staff, its Mission and its Clients. Know that I am talking a lot of mental notes in order to bring that magic back to SmartShop and recreate it. Oh, yes, I know SmartShop has a magic all of its own, but its been running in short supply and we need another sprinkle or two of fairy dust to make it sparkle again.

Day Seven

A little about the Metal Museum from Duff's perspective (you'll remember him, he's the one with Wally and the horse).

Essay for the "I Used to Work Here, A Work In Progress: 25 Years" exhibition catalogue commemorating the Metal Museum's 25th anniversary, February 8-May 9, 2004

We called it the Natural Oatmeal Museum. There were only three of us on the staff, Director Jim Wallace, (Wally) Judy (now Mrs. Wallace) and myself, at the time, a 19-year-old art student. We had excessive optimism, a handful of dedicated volunteers, resources were few to slim, Ronald Reagan was President and phones still had dials when I started working at the National Ornamental Museum. I was drawn to the Museum by my desire to know everything that I could about forging iron. Upon leaving to attend graduate School at Southern Illinois University three years later I had become a reasonably skilled blacksmith. Better yet, I had had the experience of a lifetime, being a participant in the early days of an institution that in the next two decades would enrich the cultural life of Memphis, contribute to the growth of the artist metalsmithing field, and impact the lives of thousands through education and inspiration.

The idea of a museum dedicated to ornamental ironwork originated within the trade organization, the National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metal Association, in the 1970's. Among the founders were several Memphians who were especially enthusiastic about the concept and worked hard to find a location. The fledgling museum was established as a separate entity from NOMMA but was intended to highlight the products and services of the industry. Over the years it has done that, but its mission expanded to exhibit all forms of metal arts both historic and contemporary. Additionally the Museum has become a repository of information and artifacts as well as a working shop for the education of visitors and professional metalsmiths alike.

When visiting the National Ornamental Metal Museum today, it might be hard to imagine the Museum's humble and hard scrabble beginnings. The grounds are now beautifully landscaped and the artists working in the Schering-Plough Smithy and the new Lawler Foundry are busy with interesting projects. Inside the Museum's galleries are stunning exhibitions of art and metalwork. The Museum Library contains a wealth of information available for historic research and the ongoing documentation of the work of contemporary metalsmiths. Also, among the many changes, Jim Wallace's staff is now about five times larger. The one thing that has not changed since the beginning is the Museum's make something out of nothing culture. An underlying enthusiasm for accomplishing seemingly impossible goals, infused with old fashion blacksmith ingenuity, is the force that propels the Museum forward.

In this 25th Anniversary year, the primary goal is restoring the "White Building" to create a new home for the Museum's expanding library. Twenty years ago the goal of keeping the doors open through tomorrow was just as daunting. I credit much of the Museum's survival to the vision and relentless persistence of Jim Wallace. Looking at the place then--three acres and three deteriorated abandoned buildings--who would have imagined it as a credible and even internationally recognized center of education, research, and professional interaction? If there was a wall, it needed paint. Leaves, a foot deep in the basement, were home to every creepy crawly thing imaginable. Mowing was not necessary because there was no grass in the yard. It was cause for celebration when there were more than four visitors in a single day.

During the summer of 1982, there was a tremendous effort to spruce up the forlorn grounds and buildings. The exteriors of the Museum and Duplex were painted. Lighting intended to be temporary was installed on the grounds. I think some of it is still in use today. It had always been dark and spooky if not downright dangerous to walk across the yard at night. We also refinished all of the floors in the upstairs galleries, the "hovel" (a small apartment adjacent to the upstairs gallery which has served as residence for the Intern since Mike Weeks, the first of Wally's assistants, moved in 1979), and two rooms that became the new office. Up to that point, the office was an old door heaped high with papers and supported by two empty file cabinets in the hovel. During that summer I had to live in the basement, sleeping at night on the old door, formerly the office, supported by sawhorses. The twenty years worth of accumulated compost on the floor provided my tropical fish with live food and once I nearly stepped on a snake while getting off of my door/bed. From all that floor sanding, I still find sawdust in some of my books.

Looking back it astounds me that the Museum ever survived those first years. None of us was ever really paid in the normal sense. I was compensated with rent-free residence in the hovel and as a raise received a bag of M&Ms every week. I survived on cornbread and molasses, and perfected the art of showing up at people's homes around dinnertime. I supplemented this by doing small commissions and repair jobs in the smithy. The real reward was the excitement and satisfaction of creating something completely new. The word "moil" means drudgery and endless churning. We called ourselves the Moilers and gradually transformed a forgotten corner of the city into the beginnings of a real museum.

The old blacksmith shop was a cramped little shed with several additions and multiple rooflines that we called the "Ode to Arkansas Architecture." In the evenings, Wally and I would work at the forge while listening over and over to the same Terry Allen cassette tape (Lubbock On Everything) until Larry King came on the radio at midnight. There was rarely a day off. Life generally revolved around a six-week changing exhibition schedule. We never had enough of anything. Once the phone was cut off and Wally's idea of heating was keeping the pipes from freezing. Exhibition changes were all out efforts, building pedestals and exhibit props down to the very last minute before the openings. Long Hardware gave us old paint and bags of odd screws spilled by customers and swept up off the floor at the end of the day. We traded donated cases of dog food for steel at the junkyard and bought old cases of natural oatmeal soap at the salvage store.

In September 1982 the international exhibition "Towards a New Iron Age" opened at the Museum. The show, curated by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and its American tour organized by the Metal Museum presented the work of artist blacksmiths from Asia, Europe, North America and even the then isolated Communist Eastern European countries. This spectacular show raised the profile of the Metal Museum not only in Memphis, but also internationally among metalsmiths and established Museums across the country. The press was great and the visitor count grew exponentially. In the years to follow, participation in Memphis community events, Repair Days, fund raising auctions, hosting of workshops and conferences, and curating major exhibitions set the standard of what could be achieved and lifted the veil of obscurity. Numerous awards, grants and various accolades serve as a reflection of the Metal Museum's increasing cultural value. In 1985 I finished my internship at the Museum. My last responsibility was the demolition of the Ode to Arkansas Architecture. I was given, as assistants, twenty inmates from the Department of Corrections who had volunteered for community service in exchange for reduced jail time. At the end of the day they traded sledgehammers for brooms and I knew that this represented the dawn of a new chapter in the life of the Museum. The old shop, partially built with lumber salvaged from trans-Atlantic shipping crates once containing the "Towards A New Iron Age" exhibition, filled two dump trucks, and the ground was swept clear for construction of the new Schering-Plough Smithy.

I moved to Illinois well prepared to continue my education and ultimately to start my own studio. To this day, many of my experiences at the Museum function as guiding principles in my approach to building and operating my own studio business. I internalized the notion that if you can think of it, it can be done. Once a moiler, always a moiler. In that spirit, in 1997, after working nine years in an ancient shoe factory building, I moved a 37 ft. tall; 2800 sq. ft. metal building from a coal mine 60 miles away to the Murphysboro IL Industrial Park. The "new" building has been transformed into a studio for the construction of public art sculptures larger than anything that I could have ever imagined creating twenty years ago. I also strive to foster the same type of professional growth for my employees that I received at the Museum. In the winter, just like Wally, I try to keep the pipes from freezing.

In retrospect, I think of my years at the Museum as a defining period of my life. I still see the Museum and many of the people associated with it as my second home and family. I know I am not alone in holding these sentiments. Every October, returning to Memphis for Repair Days feels more like a class reunion than a fundraising event. Dozens of us trace our career paths and many friendships back to the Metal Museum. The improvements in facilities and the continuing growth of the numbers of individual and corporate supporters suggest to me that these are still the early days of the National Ornamental Metal Museum. Undoubtedly, in the next quarter century, another generation of metalsmiths will learn and launch careers from association with the Museum, scholars will find their way to the new Library, great exhibitions will be seen, and of course there will be plenty of tasty Bar-B-Que.

John Medwedeff

DAY SIX..

Photos:
Wally wonders while Holly ponders. Photographed during Repair Days 2008 by Sharon Bicks at The Metal Museum.

Wally, large fiberglass horse, John "Duff" Medwedeff. 1984.

Who Is Wally?
James A. Wallace "Wally"
Founding Director of The National Ornamental Metal Museum "Metal Museum"
Creator of the Museum's make something out of nothing culture. An underlying enthusiasm for accomplishing seemingly impossible goals.
Retired happily after 30 years of dedicated service.
Admired by most all.
Held in high esteem by many.
Master Blacksmith. Goldsmith. Silversmith. Whitesmith. Smithsmith.
Part Border Collie, part fisherman, part cowboy, part playwright.

Thanks Wally for making this place, where we've all enjoyed so many wonderful things. Thanks for making sure the buildings stayed intact, dry and warm.
Thanks for building a smithy, a foundry, and a library.
Thanks for caring when you shouldn't have.
Thanks for working too hard.
Thanks for sharing.

Day Five..

Ms. Judy Davis, Outreach and Education Coordinator at The National Ornamental Metal Museum, makes things happen everyday! Judy is teaching me how to be a better teacher and how to write effective lesson plans for onsite elementary school programs. She will be dragging me along to several Memphis area elementary schools, where i'll be assisting her to administer several of her already tried and true metal arts activities. In addition, Judy has agreed to let me bug her while I am designing both in school and after programs for Kalamazoo Public Schools. I'm looking forward to our time together, as we have never had enough in the past. Judy is an incredibly hard worker, a talented teacher, a fantastic coordinator and she is certainly a Ringmaster extraordinare!

Wait until the very end and watch that gal with the torch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiG_GdDEpGY

Day Four

I am proud to report that progress has been made.
Perhaps some of the horses will be enameled Fine Silver.
Some of them will be Pewter.
Some of them will be Bronze.
Some of them will be Sterling Silver.

Phillip is happy and likes Jake Brown the best.
Very productive and joyous day today.
Cheesy Potato Soup For Lunch.
Need better chair.
11 degrees is no southern vacation.

All is Well!

Day Three....

I'll bet some of you are wondering what exactly I am doing here at The Metal Museum. Here is the proposal I submitted to the SmartShop Board of Directors and the Metal Museum. This is my mission:


PROPOSAL

Who:  Holly Fisher
What:  Artist Residency
Where:  National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, TN
When:  January 1, 2010 – March 30, 2010

Artist-In-Residence Details: The Metal Museum's Resident Artist Program affords artists the opportunity to live and work in a stimulating, supportive museum environment. With full access to the on-site smithy and foundry, artists are able to focus on their art and create a new body of work over the course of three, six, or twelve months. The program welcomes self-motivated, focused individuals working in various forms of metal arts including foundry, conservation/small metals and blacksmithing work. Housing, studio space, and some materials are provided.

Accommodations: The Museum is located on 3.2 acres on the Mississippi River in a former merchant marine hospital. Artists are housed in the east side of a duplex that once served as the Junior Officer's Quarters. The residence can accommodate up to four people at a time - three rooms for extended stay residencies and one room for guests. There is basement room with private bath and living area, the second floor south room with private bath and the second floor north room with shared bath and private porch. Rooms are assigned as available.

Expectations: Artists are expected to dedicate at least 36 hours per week to creating a body of work as outlined in their statement of intent. In addition, artists are expected to commit 2 - 4 hours per week assisting with shop maintenance (i.e. cleaning, repair, upgrading). Artists are also asked to donate one artwork to the Museum for the permanent collection, to be mutually agreed upon by Museum and artist. The residency does not include a living stipend. Opportunities to do limited, contractual work, such as assisting the Museum with educational programs, are available.

Proposed Project: During this three month period of residence, I will complete a entirely new body of work (9-12 "Reflection" pieces) as I study reflective surfaces, their inherently interactive nature, and the metal forming techniques required to produce the work. The pieces will be made from cast silver, sheet formed stainless steel and chrome plated cast iron. The forms will be inspired by the scientific principles surrounding water and air movement. A "Reflection Paper" will document in words, my creative and technical processes, my experiences and resulting theories. The new body of work will be shown at SmartShop's Gallery during the month of April, 2010, with an artist's reception during April's Art hop and a specially scheduled "Welcome Home" party with a slide lecture documenting my adventure.

Direct Benefits:
•    Exceptional opportunity to study under several recognized masters in the field including James A. Wallace, Jim Masterson, Bob Rogers and Richard Prillaman. Their instruction and guidance will culminate in my building knowledge, experience and skills in the following areas: Cast iron mold making, cupola operation and finishing techniques. Silver forging, casting, soldering and finishing. Advanced methods for sheet forming and polishing stainless steel. Jewelry design and fabrication techniques.
•    Develop new relationships with skilled artisans who could then be invited to SmartShop to share their specific skills through guest programs.
•    Uninterrupted creative based time for SmartShop grant, organizational and programmatic planning and writing.
•    Collaborate with Metal Museum Director Carissa Hussong and Metal Museum to gain new perspectives about organizational development and directives. 
•    Collaborate with Metal Museum Outreach and Education Coordinator Judy Davis to develop strong programs for Kalamazoo Arts Integration Initiative, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and other Kalamazoo Public School venues.
•    Allow the SmartShop staff to practice and perform their specific duties without the direct influence of the founder, resulting in increased staff ownership over the daily operations of the organization, thereby making the organization stronger and more autonomous.
•    Rest, rejuvenation and reflection time for the Program Director who, for all intents and purposes has not had a break for focused creative endeavors for the past 7 years.

Minding the Store at Smartshop During the Residency: Even though I would be physically absent, I will continue to perform my duties as Program Director for SmartShop  (15 hours per week) for grant research, writing, and development, as well as organizational and programmatic planning and writing. I will also be available via phone and email for communications and planning with community partners, scheduling, problem solving and staff assistance. Attached you will find a breakdown of staff costs associated with absence. Operations manager Pamela Gallina, Part Time Instructor, Jon Reeves, Administrative Support (Special Operations) Lisa Verwys, Book Keeper Lisa Colgren and Shop Manager / Lead Intern Kara Oberg have enthusiastically expressed support for the project and feel confident in their ability to manage shop and gallery operations in my absence. I too, feel confident in their abilities.
Why a Residency? This residency opportunity is similar to practice in the field of education for scholars and college professors who need time off to complete research projects, to revamp course curriculums, to reflect and re-energize. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that 66 percent of employers in the educational community offer paid professional leave.  But the term is not reserved for academics alone.  Many corporations use professional leave as a way to recognize exemplary employees especially when increased compensation increases are not practical.

In the article The Key to Sharpening our Professional skills as Educators, Scientists, and Clinicians , the authors cite a passage that sums it up nicely,  "If your ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed; but skill will bring us success". 


  Sabbaticals: The Key to Sharpening our Professional Skills as Educators, Scientists, and Clinicians
Gayle A. Brazeau, PhDab and Jeanne Hawkins Van Tyle, PharmD, MSc
aAssociate Editor, American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
bSchool of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University at Buffalo
cCollege of Pharmacy, Butler University

Day Two.

Forge notes from Day One:
Inspired by my friend David's photos of his recent trip to Japan, and by the small very wonderful horse shaped gifts he brought back for me, I've set my first project sights on Small silver horse charms. Getting started with the wax work today, i discovered that carving tiny horses out of hard purple wax can be difficult. Used a small alcohol fueled wick candle to heat various metal tools to shape a gob of wax into a myriad of everchanging awkward shapes intended to look like a leaping horse. I often times throughout the process re-realized I was doing it all wrong, but had to keep going to discover how to do it right. Said horse looked like a llama for awhile, then a headless dog, but in the end, its kind of horsey. Tommorrow, having hatched a theory, I'll drip wax onto steel sheets to make muscle groups which, after they cool, I will affix to the main body and build up the horse. Perhaps I'll achieve a better result by adding rather than subtracting. When finally I have created a sound horse, which is lovely and in proportion, the wax will be cast in silver and then that silver horse, cast again in wax multiples. The multiples will form a tree, which will be invested in refractory, then the wax inside the refractory will be melted out. Molten silver will be flung into the resulting hollow form, thereby making many silver horses. Horse Charms anyone?

It snowed last night. it very rarely snows in Memphis. The whole town is practically shut down. They do not have salt trucks in Memphis. They do not have sand trucks in Memphis. They do not understand ice and snow. Compared to what we Michiganders are used to, this is nothing, but it has crippled this city. The weather has been blamed on me and I am now responsible for all of the driving tasks because I have experience.

Blacksmith Chic - Five Points Blacksmith Shop at Night

Here's what greeted Phil and I on arrival in Charleston, IL.. the halfway point between Kalamazoo and Memphis.
There's nothing better than a pink neon anvil!
If you haven't checked out Lorelei's website (www.blackmsithchic.com) you're really missing something.

Wednesday January 6, Safe and Sound in Memphis

Good Morning from the Mid South!

I am sitting in a pretty room and the sun is shining outside. I can hear the barges as they make their way south down the Mississippi. Phil is snoring happily on the bed.

Some highlights from our (Phil, the german sheperd dog, with a loppy ear, and I are a team this trip) Road Trip:

Michigan did not let us go easily, the first hour on the road was terrifying with white out conditions and cars in the ditches. I cut our speed and forged ahead (!) determined to get south where its warmer and less, well, snowy!

Drove 5.5 hours the first day and stopped in Charleston, IL. Had the sincere pleasure of staying with Lorelei Simms, (see www.blacksmithchic.com). Lorelei wrote "The Backyard Blacksmith" (http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Blacksmith-Traditional-Techniques-Modern/dp/1592532519 ), a fabulous book that I teach out of regularly, and she is a fabulous smith and person. Phil and I had a lot of fun at Lorelei's! We even got to hang out with some horses on Lorereli's new 130 acre farm!

Rural King (southern Illinois' version of Tractor Supply Co.) is a great store. Where else in the world can you buy two pounds of banana taffy, a horse lead line ( I forgot Phil's leash), and Amish jelly?

Stopped at a tiny gas station in the middle of nowhere and was shocked to discover they had no gas, no bathrooms, and no cigarettes. The next station, 20 miles down the road had run out of gas the day before, but had a few drops for me to get on my way. This kind of thing makes me wonder. It also encouraged me to stop for gas before the tank was on empty!

We arrived at The National Ornamental Metal Museum (affectionately known as the Metal Museum) at 5 o'clock central time and were greeted by the metal smithing crew of the museum, Mary Catherine Floyd, Kevin Burge, Jim Masterson, and Jake Brown. We promptly had a beer and swapped tales before getting dwon to the heavy lifting of unpacking the car. Phil made friends easily and seems to already enjoy his new job as Musuem Dog, demanding pets from everyone.

After unpacking and settling in, I crawled into my bed and listened to the barges and the strange humming sound made by cars passing over the bridge across the river to Arkansas. Phil sighed heavily and I knew we were in a very special place, about to do some very special things, and surrounded by special people. I'm so happy to be here.

Today, I'll get to the grocery, and visit amvets to pick up some small things we need, but couldn't get packed in the car. I'll be thinking of my friends at home, my upcoming projects and all of the wonderful things life has given me.
--

Helios Runaway at The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

I'm Going to Memphis!

I'm going to Memphis in January for a totally awesome artist in residency program. Watch this space for daily (Yes, daily. I promised Kevin.) updates. Better yet, sign up for the new newsletter in the signup on the right to receive updates directly to your inbox! Pictures, video, fun.

Podcast Cover Art

I'm going to have a podcast. For now, this will be the cover art.

NEW WORK!

"Helios Runaway"
forged steel
36" long
available for purchase at ARTIQUE, Lexington KY

Baltimore's Industrial Prom Queen

Here I am enjoying myself and amusing others on our last day in Baltimore!

Holly Goes To Baltimore!!

Hello Friends,
Having just returned for the American Craft Council's show in Baltimore, I am happy to report that Rachel and I had a lot of un, met some absolutely fabulous people, wrote some orders and make some very important contacts. The horses will be going to Jackson Hole, WY, Helena MT, and Lexington, KY, as well as a few other places that are not necessarily "horse country".
Here's a picture of our booth during the wholesale portion of the show..

ADOPT A HORSE TODAY

If you, like many others, have fallen in love
with Holly's one of kind hand forged steel
FIREHORSES, you can easily secure your
choice from the 2008 herd today!
Only 20 FIREHORSES will be made throughout 2008.
The horses will be akin in design to “Job & Edgar” with
the same approximate dimensions, degree of intricacy, &
level of craftsmanship. Each horse is named, numbered,
signed, & dated with point of origin. FIREHORSES are
sent to their owners with a certificate of authenticity.



When you make your adoption commitment of $500.00,
you are added to our list of patrons who are contacted
as soon as a horse is "born".

Patrons will be sent high resolution photographs
via e-mail of each FIREHORSE as they are completed,
including their names, dimensions, cost & Holly's
thoughts on the piece as it was born in the fire.

Horses will be offered to all current patrons, all patrons
may respond with their interest in acquiring the new
FIREHORSE. The patron with the earliest commitment date
will be awarded the horse. All other
Patrons will be contacted with the results.

Your commitment fee will be subtracted from the
final cost of the horse. Your FIREHORSE will be
shipped upon our receiving your final payment.
All 20 head of the 2008 herd will not exceed
$3500.00 retail price. Shipping & Handling charges
apply at time of ship

Patrons who adopt are offered a chance to renew
their commitment & continue the program. Lower
commitment amounts may apply for renewed commitments.

If, by December 31st, 2008, you have not found the
right FIREHORSE, you will be given the choice to continue
the program in 2009 for an additional $250.00, or be refunded
half of your $500.00 deposit.

Please call, email, or write for your application form today!
Contact Holly Fisher Artist Blacksmith
516 East North Street Kalamazoo, MI 49007
(269) 345 - 7285 anvilgirl@sbcglobal.net www.hollyfisher.com

word...

"This being human is a guest-house,
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
treat each guest honorably.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
As a guide from beyond."

The Guest House
(translated by Coleman Barks, The Essential Rumi)

Job, as in the Bible Job...

The work on Job demanded patience, as flattened tapers are not as easy as they look.
hand forged from canadian steel, finished with black graphite encaustic patina. stands over 26" tall.

Another Divine Dichotomy

ANOTHER DIVINE DICHOTOMY
Forged from 1 1/2" steel on KURT the Little Giant that lives in the garage.
measures 38" long. wall hung.