Resources for Affiliates
Local affiliate groups are the heart and soul of the blacksmithing community and we work to support registered ABANA affiliate groups with a monthly email newsletter containing event information, marketing tips, news from other affiliates, and more. We also provide funding in the form of grants to be used for educational purposes.
The following tools may be helpful for your affiliate:
Come to the 2024 Conference
It’s time to represent your affiliate organization at ABANA’s 50th Anniversary Celebration & Conference! ABANA Affiliates are invited to set up an informational table or vendor booth during the event. The event will feature forging instruction in the education tents, demonstrations on both traditional and artistic blacksmithing, family activities, craft classes, tailgating, gallery of ironwork, iron-in-the-hat, a big tool raffle, and more!
Call for Entries: ABANA will be putting together a public art project that will be on display in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Blacksmiths from around the world are invited to submit their entries for possible inclusion in the project. Affiliate groups are encouraged to forge either a ring produced collectively by the group OR it is a fantastic project to work on during group forging sessions. Check out the guidelines for the Ring Project, and we hope to see your group’s work represented at ABANA’s 50th Anniversary Celebration & Conference!
Use #2024ABANARingProject when posting your progress on social media so we can like and share!
One of the highlights of the 50th Anniversary Celebration & Conference is the International Team Forging Competition in Johnstown’s Central Park. Teams will consist of up to four smiths and we’d love to see each affiliate field a team. Teams will be given four hours to forge a design based on the theme “ABANA – 50 Years of Forging Connections.” Judging will be conducted by a panel including Peter Renzetti, one of the founders of ABANA; Luc Vandecasteele who has served as a judge at the World Forging Championship in Stia, Italy; and Angela Godin, the Executive Director of the Community Arts Center of Cambria County.
Space is limited, so get your team together and register sooner than later!