Presented in conjunction with the fall exhibition, Meta-Formation: New Connections in Contemporary Blacksmithing, HCCC is pleased to present a Facebook Live conversation with “Meta-Formation” organizer and sculptor Rachel David and HCCC Curator Kathryn Hall. Discover how this exhibition responds to the current state of blacksmithing. As a metalworker, activist, and designer, Rachel will also share her experience and discuss her efforts to promote inclusivity within the field.
About Rachel David
Born in Maryland, Rachel David is a blacksmith, sculptor, and designer, who lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her metalwork practice encompasses art, furniture, architectural elements, activism, and gardening. Through community activism and metalwork that references relationships between bodies and landscapes, David investigates issues related to colonization, social, and environmental justice. She was a visiting artist at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (LA), The Crucible (CA), and Community-First Forge (TX)and taught at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts (ME), Peters Valley School of Craft (NJ), the New Agrarian School (MT), and Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (IL). David organized and curated Nu Iron Age in (2017) and Meta-Formation (2019 – ongoing). She has exhibited work nationally and internationally in solo and group exhibitions. Her work has been included in several publications, including Ironwork Today 4, and in the collections of the City of New Orleans and the Simone Benetton Foundation, as well as numerous private collections.
Above: Rachel David, “Bound Helical Table,” 2020. Forged, formed, and fabricated steel and patina. 32 x 44 x 18 inches. Photo by Seth Boonchai.