My personal journey as a blacksmith began in 2007 at The Academy of Art in San Francisco. But my true industrial arts education was forged at the behemoth of an arts school that is The Crucible, Oakland. Founded in 1999 The Crucible has given work to hundreds of artists every year and has over two dozen departments of classes. With the temporary closure of The Crucible, I thought it would be fitting to share other places in the bay that offer industrial arts education. Their temporary closure in 2020 due to the Covid 19 pandemic saw an exodus of working artists. I believe it is a great loss for the bay area if we were to loose more talent and had fewer unique experiences. Read below to about other places where you can learn and support the arts.
This is list is curated from places that appear to offer classes frequently and reliably. It prioritizes classes that are project or experienced based over vocational or training classes. It’s not a perfect list and I can hopefully improve on it over time.
-Celeste Flores
owner of Clay and Steel
(Side note: we are losing our power hammer and raising money for a new one - GoFundMe link here )
Blacksmithing Classes
Clay And Steel - Richmond, CA
Maybe you stumbled across this page through a Google search (somehow bypassing the AI-generated answers). Maybe someone shared this blog with you. Either way, I have to start with an obvious recommendation: my own shop, Clay and Steel.
Located inside Seaport Art Studios in Richmond, Clay and Steel offers hands-on classes where you can learn to forge hooks, knives, feathers, bracelets, and more. I also bring in special guest instructors throughout the year, and I've got an exciting, star-studded lineup in the works for the near future.
Check out my current class offerings to see our upcoming classes. Sign up soon, they sell out fast!
Visual Philosophy Studio - San Jose
This maker space offers introduction to blacksmithing classes every weekend. They also offer classes in welding, ceramics, screen printing and stained glass.
Jewelry Classes
Richmond Art Center - Richmond
Learn to work with precious metals, set stones or create your own chain and more at Richmond Art Center. In addition to teaching small metal arts Richmond also offers classes in drawing and painting, printmaking, ceramics and more
Metalworks SF is a jewelry school and studio associated with Macchiarini Design, a long-established San Francisco jewelry business. It teaches traditional hand fabrication and metalworking, with classes for beginners and more experienced students.
We Wield The Hammer - Berkeley
This program does not teach classes in general to the public. Their mission is to teach jewelry to young women of African descent. Check them out and apply for their program or lend them your support
Sharon Art Studio - San Francisco
This studio run by the SF parks department runs a variety of jewelry classes, including teaching chainmail. Plus they run classes in ceramics and stained glass
Silvera Jewelry School - Berkeley
This jewelry school offers a huge range of classes and techniques. They teach the basics of soldering and stone setting but also offer classes in fold forming, electroplating, enameling, lost wax casting and more. Classes are also online, class availability varies
Woodturning Classes
Woodturning at Lower 48 - Oakland
Enjoy the fast, fun instant satistfaction of wood turning at Lower48 in Oakland, CA. Craft beautiful, functional objects, creating pens and bowls and more all in a lively and inclusive setting. The owner, Jolie, is in the process of adding more classes on EventBrite, and open labs every Tuesday from 12-4
Randall Museum - San Francisco
This museum offers a variety of woodworking classes, from skills building, to furniture building and woodturning. They also offer ceramics classes and access to their workshops.
General Woodworking Classes
Build a planter box, create a cutting board, or a coat rack at this woodworking maker space. Or take on a bigger challenge making a wooden chair, a side board or a wooden table
Fun and approachable classes teaching how to create shelves, a side table or a cutting board
Randall Museum - San Francisco
This museum offers a variety of woodworking classes, from skills building, to furniture building and woodturning. They also offer ceramics classes and access to their workshops.
This woodshop offers a large variety of in depth classes as well as open access to their shop. Dovetail benches, carved spoons, lamps and beatiful professional quality frames are amongst their offerings.
Glass Blowing Classes
This small business offers a variety of approachably priced classes with extra discounts by purchasing through Groupon
Public Glass - SF
This institution offers classes in glass blowing, casting, stained glass, glass flameworking and more. They also have fun events such as “Hot Glass, Cold Beer” with local food and drink, entertainment and live demos
Mare Island Art Glass - Vallejo
Offering approachable classes, from small tasters to full blown instruction, this shop opens their doors to adults and children alike
The Bay Area Glass Institute - San Jose
This institute offers in depth classes in glass blowing, flame working, fusing and more. They also have open studio time and lots of public events
Glass Flameworking Classes
The Bay Area Glass Institute - San Jose
This institute offers in depth classes in glass blowing, flame working, fusing and more. They also have open studio time and lots of public events
Public Glass - SF
This institution offers classes in glass blowing, casting, stained glass, glass flameworking and more. They also have fun events such as “Hot Glass, Cold Beer” with local food and drink, entertainment and live demos
Maker Nexus - Sunnyvale
This maker space that also offers classes in glass flameworking, leatheworking and wood working, metal working and more
Print Making Classes
Delve into the intricate art of linocuts and bookbinding through expert guidance at this unique establishment. Book arts are often overlooked as an artform. But books are a perfect medium in which to weave stories on every page and cover.
Kala Art Institute - Berkeley
Kala is a longstanding resource for contemporary printmaking in the bay area. In addition to workshops they offer artist residencies, exhibitions, and professional print studio facilities
Welding Classes
Introduction to metalworking and MIG welding are amongst the offerings at Maker Nexus. They are a Maker Space that also offers classes in glass flameworking, leatheworking and wood working
Visual Philosophy Studio - San Jose
This maker space offers introduction to blacksmithing classes every weekend. They also offer classes in welding, ceramics, screen printing and stained glass.
Clay and Steel - Richmond
So many of you have asked about the welding classes we used to run. Well, I guess I’m caving to the demand. We are adding two welding classes. An initial MIG welding class to introduce you to the machines and equipment. And a second class focusing on some of the concepts for fabrication. We are trying to figure out a format that works for our little shop. The equipment cost and upkeep makes running welding classes costly to run but we think it’s a challenge worth figuring it out.
Mill and Lathe Machine Shop Classes
Humanmade - SF
Most of the classes I have listed are experience and project based classes. But Humanmade is more of a hacker/ maker space that trains people to be able to use their equipment. They are a collective with a woodshop, metal shop, textile shop as well as doing digital fabrication and electronics.
Maker Nexus - Sunnyvale
Another maker space that primarily offers training to use their equipment, but they also offers classes in glass flameworking, leatheworking and wood working
Foundry and Casting Classes - no known classes currently offered
Here’s the truth, I can not find anything other than small metals casting in the bay area. There’s a group of previous Crucible employees who had been working on developing and class and gathering equipment to set up shop in Richmond. Setting up a business typically requires a lot of capital and time, neither of which is easy to come by for a working artist. If you are knowledgable in the foundry and have time, or are interested in providing capital, reach out and let me know. I can contact the group and see if we can start some fundraising efforts.
