Private - Frederick Gunn School

Youth | FULL

291 Whiconier Road Brookfield, CT 06804 United States
The Good Forge
Ages 11 - 18
Monday, February 23, 2026-Wednesday, March 4, 2026
9:30 AM-2:30 PM on Mon Tue Wed Th Fri
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Private - Frederick Gunn School

Youth | FULL

Students will spend 8 days learning basics of Blacksmithing and Jewelry making. 

The first 7 sessions will be from 9:30am - 2:30pm with an hour break at 11:30am for lunch. (Feb 23-27 + March 2+3)
The last session will be from 9:30am-11:30am and the group will depart at lunchtime. (March 4)

Students will split their time between Jewelry and Forge. They will break into groups of four and spend half of the instructed time with Chris Doherty in the Forge Studio and half of their time with Lori Meehan in the Jewelry Studio. 

Topics/Projects to be covered include:

FORGE:

1. J-Hook

2. Leaf key chain fob

3. Dinner Triangle and ringer

4. Bottle Opener

5. Hotdog Fork

6. S-Hook

 

Projects 3 and 4 will require more than one session. Generally how quickly we proceed is highly dependent on the pace of the students. The important thing is that the kids learn the techniques in a safe environment rather then focusing on making things. I begin each project with a demonstration where I talk while the steel heats, incorporating safety information, history, tool specifications and techniques into that time.

JEWELRY:

* Safety

* Texturing metal using various different methods including hammers, stamps & rolling mill

* Cutting metal with disk cutters

* Sawing metal & piercing metal

* Doming metal

* Twisting square wire

* Soldering

* Designing jewelry

Students will learn a few different techniques and then discuss design options.  They can decide if they want to make one of my examples or they can design something different. Students will complete pendants, rings, cuffs




  • *SAFETY FIRST*
    Safety Guidelines will be discussed and reviewed 
    Required: Closed toe shoes, fitted sleeves, long hair tied back
Chris Doherty

Chris Doherty has been wielding a hammer since the late twentieth century and has been working and teaching at Brookfield Craft Center for many years. His work has been sold at local galleries and craft shows as well as online. He was the assistant instructor for blacksmithing at Peter’s Valley Craft Center in the summer of 2014 and is a member of the Northeast Blacksmiths Association. He is an enthusiastic supporter of the craft.

Meehan, Lori
Lori Meehan

Lori Meehan, the metalsmith and designer behind LMM Design, creates handcrafted jewelry using modern and ancient techniques. She grew up in rural western New York State and went to college in Rochester, NY and London, England where she studied marketing. While working in the hectic television industry in NYC and looking for a creative release, she discovered the art of creating jewelry in 2002. After moving to Connecticut in 2008, she found the Brookfield Craft Center and this is where her love (addiction) for working with metal started. She has studied with well known artists and masters from around the country. Finding inspiration in nature, geometric patterns and architectural elements, she works primarily in 24k gold, fine silver, silver and semi precious gemstones, using various techniques including Keum-boo, fold-forming, anticlastic and synclastic forming, forging, cold-connections and more. “I enjoy the process of taking a flat piece of metal or a straight piece of wire and creating shapes, forms, textures and sculptures. I love the way in which lines and curves play against each other and the movement they create. Sometimes my creative process is planned out, and other times it's spontaneous and I won’t know what I’m making until the piece is complete.” She is a member of the Nutmeg Collective and has been featured in the Connecticut Magazine’s Holiday Gift Guide and in Handmade Business Magazine. Her work can be found in many galleries and stores throughout Connecticut and New York. www.instagram.com/lmm_design www.lmm-design.com