Summary
Get hands-on at the Carrie Blast Furnaces! Rivers of Steel’s 2026 Metal Arts Workshops offer blacksmithing, bladesmithing, iron and aluminum casting, and sculptural projects for all skill levels. Learn from expert artists, connect with the Mon Valley’s heritage, and create lasting gifts and unforgettable experiences.
At the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark, we want you to get your hands a little dirty. Here, history isn’t just something you learn about—it’s something you step into, feel, and shape with your own hands.
Rivers of Steel’s Metal Arts Workshops return in 2026, offering creators of all experience levels the chance to explore blacksmithing, bladesmithing, iron casting, aluminum casting, and sculptural work at one of America’s most storied industrial sites. Each workshop provides a finished project, while creating moments of discovery, connection, and confidence. Guided by a team of artists who carry forward traditions rooted in our region’s steelmaking legacy, these workshops offer a hands-on connection to our collective history and a chance to forge heritage with your own hands.
Whether you’re seeking a gift for a loved one or an unforgettable personal experience, these workshops promise skills and memories that will last a lifetime.
A team of artists carrying tradition forward
Every workshop at the Carrie Blast Furnaces is led by Rivers of Steel’s accomplished Metal Arts team—artists, fabricators, and educators with deep knowledge of both process and place. Their work honors the heritage of the Mon Valley while embracing contemporary, no-nonsense approaches to sculptural and functional metalwork.
Beginners are welcomed with patience and encouragement, while experienced makers are challenged and supported. The result is a community built on shared learning, curiosity, and respect for the industrial artistry that shaped the region.
About the location
Few metal arts programs in the country take place inside a site like the Carrie Blast Furnaces. Once a titan of industrial steel production, the site now serves as a catalyst for creativity and cultural connection. Every workshop offers a chance to engage directly with history—to feel the scale of the furnaces, understand the work that happened there, and leave your own mark through art-making.
Blacksmithing: From Basics to Blades
Blacksmithing remains one of the most popular entry points into the metal arts. Participants work hands-on with hot steel—heating, hammering, twisting, and shaping it into finished pieces they take home the same day.
2026 Blacksmithing offerings include:
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Seasonal Projects like Halloween Snakes, Skulls, and Holiday Ornaments
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Hot Metal Happy Hours, ideal for returning participants and intermediate makers
For makers ready to go deeper, Bladesmithing I workshops provide extended forge time. Over two days, participants learn foundational skills for shaping high-carbon steel into a functional blade—an immersive, rewarding experience for those seeking a creative challenge.
Casting: Aluminum and Iron
Casting workshops invite participants into the world of mold-making and molten metal—where you carve, press, or sculpt a pattern and watch it transform through the casting process.
Aluminum Casting
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The Doodle Bowl Experience offers a playful, three-hour introduction. Participants carve their designs and see them cast into aluminum bowls.
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Sculptural Aluminum Casting spans multiple days, guiding artists through patternmaking, mold-making, and full 3D casting—perfect for exploring a new medium.
Iron Casting
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Intro to Iron Casting and the Intercollegiate Iron Pour invite participants to engage with the metal that powered the Mon Valley for over a century.
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The Weeklong Iron Intensive provides six full days of instruction and extended shop time alongside teaching and visiting artists, allowing for deep exploration of patterns, molds, and the dramatic casting process.
From small, personal objects to large-scale patterns, casting workshops show how fire, sand, and metal come together in a dramatic—and unforgettable—process.
Workshops Make Lasting Gifts
Looking for a holiday gift that won’t melt, wear out, or get returned? A Metal Arts Workshop is personal, inspiring, hands-on, and memorable. Many participants say the workshop itself—the experience of creating—is the highlight, not just the finished piece.
Register for 2026 Workshops
With more than 60 workshops scheduled throughout 2026—including blacksmithing, bladesmithing, aluminum casting, iron casting, and seasonal specials—there’s something for everyone.
Spaces fill quickly, especially early in the season. Whether you’re curious about learning a metal art or ready to dive deeper into a craft, we’d love to welcome you to the Carrie Blast Furnaces.
