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Turn A New Leaf

Participants describe their experiences;

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In 2021 Artist Jesse Blumenthal offered blacksmithing lessons on botanical fold-forming to random Missoula community participants and preregistered learners alike. The blacksmithing “shop” is an mounted on a custom, sculptural tricycle built by the artist especially for the purpose. Leaves were precut from mild steel, participants then texturized, embellished, and folded their pattern into a unique piece of art they could take home in memory. Lessons were offered for free when serendipitous and on a sliding scale when scheduled. The transformation of the leaf by the hand of the participant provides an opportunity for self-reflection as we “turn a new leaf” in approaching the coming change of season. Examples were on hand of techniques that are accessible to varying skill levels and offer a variety of experience as well as time commitment. Simple leaf forms can be done in one heat (aprox. 5-10 minutes), while the more complexly textured and folded examples could take learners up to half an hour to complete. Participants explored the traditional blacksmithing techniques of heat management, tong positioning, striking, cross-peen use, fold-forming, tapering, chisel repousse, ball-peen use, and swage stretching/shrinking. While all of these fairly complex topics are at play in creating the leaf, the emphasis of the workshop was creative expression through steel, not technical mastery of traditional skill. After smithing their leaf, participants were asked, “What does creative expression mean to you?” Participants provided sound bites to be compiled into a radio show, and aired on community radio regionally. A video document of some of the interactions was also made for the more visually inclined (above).