‘We Wield The Hammer’: Metalsmithing workshop for girls of African descent opens

Racism is alive and well at Cal Berkeley.  A program has been designed for women of African descent.  Not white, Hispanic or Asian—they do not even get to go to the back of the bus.  I presume the DOJ and the Department of Education will investigate and close down this racist program.  Racism, black or white is wrong.

“We Wield The Hammer, a metalsmith training program for women and girls of African descent, hosted a grand opening of its new brick-and-mortar location in Sather Alley on March 1.

“We have our own space now, and everything that we do will be in our space in Berkeley,” Smith said. “We are residents of Berkeley now.”

According to Smith, the nonprofit organization had been searching for a place that was affordable, safe, accessible by public transportation and had space to become both “industrial” and “beautiful” — 2440 Durant Ave. fit the bill.

Newsom, Harris, Biden and Chuck Schumer are right—we have systemic racism in this nation.  This is a great example the racism.

‘We Wield The Hammer’: Metalsmithing workshop for girls of African descent opens

Keemia Zhang, DailyCal,  3/11/25    https://www.dailycal.org/news/city/local-businesses/we-wield-the-hammer-metalsmithing-workshop-for-girls-of-african-descent-opens/article_df9ad7f6-fd77-11ef-9c74-d3f93cde5499.html

The ancient art of metalsmithing might not be as commonplace as it once was — but Karen Smith, founder and executive director of We Wield The Hammer, aims to change that in Berkeley.

We Wield The Hammer, a metalsmith training program for women and girls of African descent, hosted a grand opening of its new brick-and-mortar location in Sather Alley on March 1.

“We have our own space now, and everything that we do will be in our space in Berkeley,” Smith said. “We are residents of Berkeley now.”

According to Smith, the nonprofit organization had been searching for a place that was affordable, safe, accessible by public transportation and had space to become both “industrial” and “beautiful” — 2440 Durant Ave. fit the bill.

We Wield The Hammer is accepting applications, likely through March 21, for its first cohort of trainees at the location, aged 14-24. The cohort will participate in a free, eight-week metalsmithing training program.

“Representation is everything, obviously, and I don’t think we see enough Black women (in metalsmithing) specifically,” Smith said. “One of the things we want to use the space for is to highlight that for our students and for the community.”

We Wield The Hammer was originally incubated at The Crucible, an art school in Oakland where Smith was a faculty member.

Smith said metalsmithing is a “male centered” art form, dominated by those who can afford access to bachelor of fine arts and master of fine arts programs.

“I think that (crafts and trades) are viable, and they should be made available,” Smith said. “They are honorable ways to make a living, and they’re amazing ways. Being an artist, being creative as a way to make a living, is an extraordinary thing.”

Smith said she became an art educator because she didn’t believe she could make a living as an artist — but if she had the opportunity to “make (her) way” as a young artist, it would’ve brought “more joy” to her work.

“Women of African descent around the world, but most especially in the United States, are left out of this process, either through access or opportunity — because they don’t know that this is a thing that is open to us,” Smith said. “So it’s my job to make a way.”

When selecting trainees, the organization’s criteria is not strict — rather, Smith is interested in applicants’ depth and breadth of interest, as well as learning styles and conflict resolution.

The process, which includes a get-to-know-you interview, is uncompetitive and meant to let Smith gain a deeper understanding of the students.

“One thing I’ve noticed with young women in general is they are perfectionists,” Smith said. “When you’re learning anything, you’re not gonna get it right on the first go round. I like to understand how you learn, what you think about the process. I want to understand how much we have to push through the perfectionist trap that so many have fallen into because of social media. If you think, ‘when I put the saw through the metal, the blade broke, I can’t do it,’ you’re setting yourself up.”

In addition to its training program, Smith plans to host workshops with time ranges from a few hours to an entire day. On the docket is a Mother’s Day mother-child metalsmithing class, as well as a monthly demonstration, workshop and exhibit presented by a Black woman jeweler.

According to Smith, We Wield The Hammer is also developing a relationship with a local jeweler to help students apprentice locally after finishing their program, as well as with Silvera Jewelry School, where trainees will be able to study for free, and vice versa.

The program is currently taking monetary and clean metal donations, including copper, brass and sterling.

Anyone interested in applying for the cohort set to begin in early spring can do so online. An affordable training program for those beyond the age of 24 is planned to begin in September, with applications opening in the summer.

“(Metalsmithing is) an extraordinary art farm,” Smith said. “People have adorned themselves since the beginning of time.”