I am excited to begin a monthly spotlight series on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)-run jewelry businesses.
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This month of July 2020 I want to share about We Wield the Hammer. This group is based in my home town of Oakland, CA.
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We Wield the Hammer exists to offer metalsmithing courses specifically to women and girls of African descent. They are currently housed at the Crucible Art School in West Oakland. You can learn more about them, donate, or see their tool wishlist here.
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Over the 10 years I have been metalsmithing I have observed a consistent lack of diversity in this field. Specifically in classes I've take and in the Instagram community, there is a noticeable absence of BIPOC. I am so happy to see that We Wield the Hammer has found a way to focus on creating opportunity for and supporting women and girls of African heritage in this art form.
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*Please respect that We Wield the Hammer is a legitimate metalsmithing operation and does not accept broken tools or performative offers of support. They have merchandise for sale (I LOVE my badass work apron from them) and a way to contact them about volunteering if you are interested in learning more about what they need to uplift them and their mission.*
*Please respect that We Wield the Hammer is a legitimate metalsmithing operation and does not accept broken tools or performative offers of support. They have merchandise for sale (I LOVE my badass work apron from them) and a way to contact them about volunteering if you are interested in learning more about what they need to uplift them and their mission.*
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Badass We Wield the Hammer apron in action:
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