The seeds for ABANA were planted
at Westville, Georgia in March
1973. Looking back by reading some
of the first Anvils Ring's, you can get a feel
for where we started from and how far we
have come. There were 22 paid members
that weekend with four more sending their
money in the following week. By September
1973, before the first Anvil's Ring was
printed, there were 47 members. By January
1974, we had added 45 more for a total of 92
members. By October 1974, we had almost
300 members. We owe these early members
a big THANK YOU.
In the first Anvil's Ring, Alex Bealer
listed some some things that ABANA'S
purpose might be. A couple of them were
to provide communication between artist
blacksmiths both professional and amateur.
To encourage more and better training facilities
in all parts of the country. Information
and books were in such short supply that
ABANA xeroxed 100 copies of Practical
Blacksmithing by M. T. Richardson and had
sold them all by October 1974 with orders
for 50 more.
Things have changed a lot and yet
still remain the same. Today, there are
lots of books, information, schools, and
local affiliates to help with education. The
need for communication among smiths
still exists and nothing beats a face-to-face
meeting for this. I think that is one of the
vital roles for the ABANA Conference.
Our next Conference is in Harrington
Delaware August 13-16, 2014. Come Make
Connections there.
I think ABANA's mission statement is
as relevant today as it was 40 years ago:
"We understand that a blacksmith
is one who shapes and forges iron with
hammer and anvil. The artist-blacksmith
does this so as to unite the functional with
the aesthetic, realizing that the two are
inseparable. We, the members of the Artist-Blacksmiths' Association of North America
do join in our resolve to perpetuate the
noble art of blacksmithing. With hammer
and anvil, we will forge for mankind a
richer life. We will preserve a meaningful
bond with the past. We will serve the needs
of the present, and we will forge a bridge to
the future. Function and creativity is our
purpose. Our task is great and so is our joy.
Looking forward to the next 40 years."
Sincerely,
David Hutchison
