October 20-2, 2023
Best Western Gateway Grand Hotel and Conference Center 4200 NW 97th Blvd | Gainesville, FL 32606
Hotel Rates: Will be announced at a later date.
All prices are per attendee.
All prices are per attendee.
At the registration tent we will have a bucket of random steel pieces cut into one pound segments. Some will be round, some flat, some bars, some … well, you name it. When you contribute $12-20 to the charity challenge, you will be allowed to go through the bucket and pick your one pound piece of steel. Then it’s over to the open forges to get creative. By the way, there may be only one of any particular shape, so you will want to get in early on this challenge to get the best choice from the scrap bucket.
Finished pieces will be displayed in the lobby of the Best Western Gateway Grand. You have until noon on Sunday to get your submission in to be judged by the hotel staff. Judge’s decision at 12 o’clock Sunday will determine our winner. The winner gets to designate a charity of their choice that the proceeds will go to.
It up to you and your imagination to create something to win big for your favorite charity.
The exchange is open to any member and skill level. Each smith creates a piece based on their interpretation of the theme and brings it to the conference. On Saturday afternoon before the auction, each person who brought an item will draw the name of another. The name that you draw is the person’s piece that you take home. It might be from a beginner or one of our seasoned smiths, you just never know. “Catcher of Light” is this year’s theme and open to your interpretation! Plan ahead and bring an item to exchange.
The gallery is a wonderful way to showcase your pieces. These can be pieces that were completed at any time. Perhaps you have a blade, art piece, home item, or other that you want to share with FABA members. Bring one or more items to the gallery to share! Items are judged by attendees and awarded prize money for People’s Choice. If possible, please pre-register your gallery pieces. If you are interested in participating in the Gallery Walk seminar please call, text, or email Erin Harlow at 904-716-9196 or [email protected]
Have scraps or interesting items laying around your shop? Bring them to the conference for Iron in the Hat. Tickets will be sold for items to be raffled on Saturday, Nov 5th from noon to 1 pm. Bring a 24-case of bottled water for 3 free tickets. Limit 3 cases per individual.
The silent and live auction is back! Proceeds from the auction not only support the conference, but also FABA throughout the year. To be successful, we need auction items! If you have an item you plan to bring, please let us know. When you drop off the auction item, we will need to know what the item is and what it is made from, who donated or made it, and the estimated value. You can do this before the conference as well. The live and silent auction will take place on Saturday evening, November 5th immediately following the annual banquet. You do not need a ticket to attend the auction.
We are asking each district or sub-district to create a piece as a team. This can be as large or small as you would like. A panel of outside judges will judge the pieces based on the criteria below. Awards will be handed out at the banquet. Please consider donating your items to the auction. We hope to see submissions from each part of the state! This is a great project to work on at a monthly meeting.
Judging Criteria
For this year's conference, Roy Adams of Christ Centered Ironworks will be demonstrating the forging of an ornamental French baroque wall hook. The hook will feature traditional joinery such as forge welding & collaring with multi-bar scrolls and leaf work. The primary focus for the conference will be the computational forging process (ie: how to achieve more complex forgings and dynamic work) with plenty of discussion, stories, & humor along the way.
Pete Braspenninx, owner of Phyre Forge, is a graduate of the University of Michigan school of art and design
(2004). He is an artist, blacksmith, and educator. His work has been shown, collected, and published nationally and internationally. His work focuses primarily on building shape & line through visual connections & joinery using traditional skills to make modern forms.
