#150mmchallenge

The Johnstown Area Heritage Association and the Artist-Blacksmith’s Association of North America (ABANA) are partnering to present a new temporary exhibition, #150mmchallenge — a 150-piece display of ironwork that was curated and produced by Delyth Done and Ambrose Burne of the United Kingdom’s Hereford College of Arts.

The #150mmchallenge is a celebration of process, material, creativity, and ingenuity in forged metal. It started with a simple assignment from lecturer Ambrose Burne for artist-blacksmithing students, designed to develop creative thinking through the imposition of a tight parameter: make a creative forged outcome from a piece of 20mm x 20mm x 150mm steel (pictured here). The challenge went viral on social media, and other forged metal designers, artists, and makers from different continents began to make and share, beginning a process of connecting international blacksmith communities.

The collected pieces, all made from the same amount of steel, are from a whole range of people passionate about forged metal design — from students, amateurs, through to key industry professionals across the globe.

Like all amenities in the Heritage Discovery Center, admission to the exhibition is included with your purchase of a ticket (and free to JAHA members).