The Olympia Mill Village Museum & Community Place will present an artisan and heritage event featuring blacksmithing and its history on Saturday, April 20, 2024. They will feature multiple blacksmiths with three forges demonstrating the art of blacksmithing from three eras: 1850s, 1920s, and 2020s. SC Humanities supported this program with a Mini Grant.
Celebrating Craftmanship and Heritage is an annual event sponsored by the Olympia Mill Village Museum. It brings the blacksmithing craft to life as visitors witness the intricate artistry involved. The demonstration is complemented by guided tours of the Olympia Mill Village Museum, providing historical context. This project forges a partnership between artistic expression and historical preservation as it demonstrates the relationship between the humanities and the arts. A brochure will be created as a takeaway for attendees. The event will be free and open to the public.
“Forge and Legacy” will take place on Saturday, April 20, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Olympia Mill Village Museum (1170 Olympia Avenue, Columbia, SC 29201). The event will feature TexasStreetWorks Blacksmith Jason Jaco and other members of the Philip Simmons Artist Blacksmiths Guild.
The Olympia Mill Village Museum and Community Space’s mission is to preserve the unique local history and culture of the historic Olympia and Granby Mill Villages. They also provide meeting space for cultural, educational, and community building activities. Learn more: https://olympiamillvillagemuseum.org/.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c)3 organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos, and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
Image: Photo by Jonathan Bean on Unsplash
