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Classes   >>   Youth



We're the place for kids to fulfill their creative aspirations using heat, spark, and flame! Based on our adult curriculum, youth classes take scope and pace into consideration, designed for students 18 and under. Classes are offered as four-day camps in the summer, with occasional offerings during school breaks. See individual class descriptions for age ranges.

Please see these notes about youth classes before you register.


Upcoming classes

  • Blacksmithing Basics

    • 11 Jun 2018
    • 14 Jun 2018
    • 4 sessions
    • 3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Shape iron with fire and hammer! Ignite your passion for blacksmithing as you learn shop safety and gain basic knowledge of the dynamics of forging by making some cool (hot!) stuff. This hands-on workshop will give you plenty of time to practice shaping hot steel with a hammer and anvil. You’ll make a variety of small items, but in this introductory class we will not be teaching bladesmithing or swordsmithing, which are advanced techniques.

    Open to ages 13 to 17.

    Instructor: Brad Buxton


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  • Sculptural Metal Casting Fundamentals

    • 18 Jun 2018
    • 21 Jun 2018
    • 4 sessions
    • 3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Have you ever wondered what happens when you heat metal until it looks like lava? Discover the amazing world of cast metal sculpture in this beginner's course! In this class we will learn shop safety and pour metal each day, creating one of a kind pieces from four different molding and pouring techniques. We will work with both molten aluminum and bronze. You can expect to experiment with modern and traditional methods while gaining experience in the ancient art of metal casting!

    Open to ages 13 to 17.

    Instructor: Jess Bergman Tank has degrees in both Studio Arts and Art History from the University of Minnesota. She has been instructing and experimenting with the metalcasting process for several years. Jess delights in sharing the love of casting with others and growing the casting community through instruction here at CAFAC and using her bicycle transported traveling foundry called Pedal to the Metal!  

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  • Oxy-Acetylene Found Object Sculpture

    • 18 Jun 2018
    • 21 Jun 2018
    • 4 sessions
    • 3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Discover scrap metal and learn to make sculptural projects from it using oxy-acetylene welding and metal fabrication techniques. This beginning-level camp will cover cutting, welding and brazing processes using an oxy-acetylene torch. Learn the limitations and benefits of these processes through the design and fabrication of your own work of art! Methods for identifying metals, surface preparation for scrap welding, along with aesthetic and protective surface treatments for finishing pieces will also be covered.

    Open to ages 12 to 17.

    Instructor: Heather Doyle has studied welding and metalsmithing from an artist's perspective for more than a decade. She continues to explore the mediums of heat and metal through her business, INDUSTRYelle, designing metal sculpture and creating custom fabrication on a commission basis. Heather taught Sculptural Welding and Blacksmithing at Minneapolis Community and Technical College for seven years and served on the Minneapolis Arts Commission for four years. She is one of the founding board members of CAFAC and now serves as its Artistic Director.   

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  • Metal Arts Sampler

    • 25 Jun 2018
    • 28 Jun 2018
    • 4 sessions
    • 3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    What are metal arts? This class will introduce you to the fiery forms of artwork that are created with metal, heat, and flame! You'll observe as our plasma cutter cuts a sheet of metal into shapes you design and give blacksmithing a try, swinging a hammer to form metal that's been heated in a forge. Pick pieces out from our metal scrap bin and learn how they can be welded or brazed together. From there, you'll create a kinetic mobile with the pieces and scraps you've collected, designed to balance and spin as it hangs.

    Open to ages 8 to 12.

    Instructor: Heather Doyle has studied welding and metalsmithing from an artist's perspective for more than a decade. She continues to explore the mediums of heat and metal through her business, INDUSTRYelle, designing metal sculpture and creating custom fabrication on a commission basis. Heather taught Sculptural Welding and Blacksmithing at Minneapolis Community and Technical College for seven years and served on the Minneapolis Arts Commission for four years. She is one of the founding board members of CAFAC and now serves as its Artistic Director.   

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  • Blacksmithing Basics

    • 09 Jul 2018
    • 12 Jul 2018
    • 4 sessions
    • 3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Shape iron with fire and hammer! Ignite your passion for blacksmithing as you learn shop safety and gain basic knowledge of the dynamics of forging by making some cool (hot!) stuff. This hands-on workshop will give you plenty of time to practice shaping hot steel with a hammer and anvil. You’ll make a variety of small items, but in this introductory class we will not be teaching bladesmithing or swordsmithing, which are advanced techniques.

    Open to ages 13 to 17.

    Instructor: Brad Buxton began his blacksmith/metalwork journey in 2009, taking classes through the Guild of Metalsmiths, North House Folk School and with nationally recognized blacksmiths. He works out of his shop, Acme Project Shop, making metal sculpture, bottle openers, campfire cooking tools and other utilitarian pieces. He teaches copper chasing/repousse blacksmith classes, to adults and high school students. His philosophy for teaching blacksmith classes is to focus on five basic processes: drawing and tapering, slitting and punching, bending, twisting, and upsetting.  



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  • Sculptural Metal Casting Fundamentals

    • 30 Jul 2018
    • 02 Aug 2018
    • 4 sessions
    • 3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
    • 5
    Register

    Have you ever wondered what happens when you heat metal until it looks like lava? Discover the amazing world of cast metal sculpture in this beginner's course! In this class we will learn shop safety and pour metal each day, creating one of a kind pieces from four different molding and pouring techniques. We will work with both molten aluminum and bronze. You can expect to experiment with modern and traditional methods while gaining experience in the ancient art of metal casting!

    Open to ages 13 to 17.

    Instructor: Jess Bergman Tank has degrees in both Studio Arts and Art History from the University of Minnesota. She has been instructing and experimenting with the metalcasting process for several years. Jess delights in sharing the love of casting with others and growing the casting community through instruction here at CAFAC and using her bicycle transported traveling foundry called Pedal to the Metal!  

    Show details

  • Oxy-Acetylene Found Object Sculpture

    • 30 Jul 2018
    • 02 Aug 2018
    • 4 sessions
    • 3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
    • 2
    Register

    Discover scrap metal and learn to make sculptural projects from it using oxy-acetylene welding and metal fabrication techniques. This beginning-level camp will cover cutting, welding and brazing processes using an oxy-acetylene torch. Learn the limitations and benefits of these processes through the design and fabrication of your own work of art! Methods for identifying metals, surface preparation for scrap welding, along with aesthetic and protective surface treatments for finishing pieces will also be covered.

    Open to ages 12 to 17.

    Instructor: Heather Doyle has studied welding and metalsmithing from an artist's perspective for more than a decade. She continues to explore the mediums of heat and metal through her business, INDUSTRYelle, designing metal sculpture and creating custom fabrication on a commission basis. Heather taught Sculptural Welding and Blacksmithing at Minneapolis Community and Technical College for seven years and served on the Minneapolis Arts Commission for four years. She is one of the founding board members of CAFAC and now serves as its Artistic Director.   


    Show details

  • Blacksmithing Basics

    • 20 Aug 2018
    • 23 Aug 2018
    • 4 sessions
    • 3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
    • 0
    Join waitlist

    Shape iron with fire and hammer! Ignite your passion for blacksmithing as you learn shop safety and gain basic knowledge of the dynamics of forging by making some cool (hot!) stuff. This hands-on workshop will give you plenty of time to practice shaping hot steel with a hammer and anvil. You’ll make a variety of small items, but in this introductory class we will not be teaching bladesmithing or swordsmithing, which are advanced techniques.

    Open to ages 13 to 17.

    Instructor: Carla Hall is a professional metalworker and educator. She has been designing and building decorative metalwork for over 20 years, with a focus on utilitarian forged steel. She has a deep investment in education, spending the last 17 years in the Bay Area running youth education programs at The Crucible, a non-profit industrial art School. She now considers Minneapolis home, continuing her work as a metal artist in her North Minneapolis based studio and is excited to be a part of Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center.  



    Show details

  • Blacksmithing Basics

    • 27 Aug 2018
    • 30 Aug 2018
    • 4 sessions
    • 3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
    • 8
    Register

    Shape iron with fire and hammer! Ignite your passion for blacksmithing as you learn shop safety and gain basic knowledge of the dynamics of forging by making some cool (hot!) stuff. This hands-on workshop will give you plenty of time to practice shaping hot steel with a hammer and anvil. You’ll make a variety of small items, but in this introductory class we will not be teaching bladesmithing or swordsmithing, which are advanced techniques.

    Open to ages 13 to 17.

    Instructor: Carla Hall is a professional metalworker and educator. She has been designing and building decorative metalwork for over 20 years, with a focus on utilitarian forged steel. She has a deep investment in education, spending the last 17 years in the Bay Area running youth education programs at The Crucible, a non-profit industrial art School. She now considers Minneapolis home, continuing her work as a metal artist in her North Minneapolis based studio and is excited to be a part of Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center.  
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