Schools
Blacksmith Introduces Metalworking To Springmont Students
Andrew Crawford is currently teaching a four-week session on the trade to middle school students.
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SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- Noted Atlanta blacksmith Andrew Crawford is leading a four-week session in the trade at Sandy Springs-based Springmont.
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Middle school students are learning the basics of metalworking, and will make rungs for a bench that will permanently reside on the school’s campus. As the oldest Montessori school in the Southeast, Springmont offers this and other creative opportunities through regular Explorer classes.
Classes such as this are part of Springmont’s liberal arts curriculum and focus on either academic, arts, environment or physical skills.
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“These types of classes are important in a balanced education,” said Springmont Head of School Jerri King. “We offer curiosity and collaboration with a balance of intellect, talent, imagination and inspiration. Blacksmithing combines all of that.”
Along with dozens of private commissions, Crawford has created ironwork and sculpture for schools, businesses and municipalities. Some of his most prominent works have been for the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Federal Reserve Bank and Washington, D.C.
His works are also among the collections of several American museums.
“My main reason for wanting to teach young people about blacksmithing is because it is a craft that teaches a multitude of physical and mental skills," Crawford said. "In addition, it teaches us valuable lessons about thinking ahead, sequencing steps in a process, and following a plan. Lastly, handling and manipulating steel builds confidence and offers an experience most people will never know.”
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Photo 1: Andrew Crawford of Andrew T. Crawford Ironworks, Christian Lubsey (in the background) and Oliver Schouest work to bend hot iron into a rung for a bench that will be permanently displayed on Springmont’s campus.
Photo 2: Andrew Crawford of Andrew T. Crawford Ironworks and Springmont Middle School student Clayton Sinclair work with hot steel that is being forged into a run for a bench as part of Springmont’s Explorer class. Crawford will take all the pieces the students make, put them together and then bring it back to Springmont’s campus, where it will be a permanent part of campus.
Photo credits: Springmont
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