EPISODE NOTES:
We’re back in Ridgway, CO this week and I’m excited for you to meet Tom Bennett, a blacksmith from Ridgway Creative District, Colorado Certified.
For Tom, the feeling of being at the forge is a combination of dance, music and athletic event. It’s hot, sweaty, and precise in a freeform way. He compares it to something that dancers probably feel – being at the forge is a dance, and it’s a dance with its own rhythm.
What does it feel like when you get in a rhythm with your own work? Please consider sharing your thoughts in the comments below!
TOM’S BIO:
Tom Bennett was born in Cambridge MA in 1967, and lived in the Boston area until moving to Vermont in 1986. Wanderlust brought him to Telluride in 1993; the desire for his own shop prompted a move to Rico within the year. Intending to start a woodworking business, Tom was building a pole barn when he was introduced to a blacksmith in Dolores and decided that that had to become a part of the program. Within three years, the woodworking tools were dispersed around town and the business had become a blacksmithing concern. After 15 years in Rico, Tom, his wife, Holly, and two children, Cyrus and Isabelle, moved to Ridgway. There he built his current shop to do blacksmithing and other types of architectural metalwork. Before long, a second chance encounter, this time with beer brewing guru Tom Hennessy, caused another major shift in focus for the business: into the world of producing equipment for brew pubs and micro breweries.
See all of Tom’s ironwork at Bennett Forgeworks at forgework.com →
SPONSORS:
This episode of Beyond the Gallery is made possible by Colorado Creative Industries. A division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade, Colorado Creative Industries sees a future where Colorado is a premiere “Creative Economy.” CCI strives to create a strong brand identity, a Top 10 reputation, and create significant and sustained investment in the creative sector where creative entrepreneurs and enterprises will flourish.
