November Roundup

November was a busy month for us here at the Blacksmith's shop!

Our 5th annual Open Studio was a big success! Over 200 people came throughout the day Saturday Nov. 7th. We enjoyed the fresh pressed hot mulled apple cider from this Fall's apple tree harvest, and Matt & Karine had made 14# of pimento cheese spread (they even grew their own pimentos!) Friends and neighbors came with appetizers including ham sandwiches and biscuits. No one should have left hungry!
      Karine led the blacksmithing demonstrations this year, hammering out leaves for a walk-gate they are creating for a client. The new improvements to the power hammers made them incredibly quiet and 'easier on the ears' for our guests. She also demonstrated some hand forming using the swage block and did some detail work on the anvil. Each leaf was finally cut at the hardy at Karine's new anvil that she's just had re-surfaced and has been busy tooling up. Our dear friend, Chad Balster also had his hand blown glass on display and LOTS for sale as well... and just in time for the holidays!

Photo by Downtown Lawrenceburg

Later in the month, Karine and Matt presented at the Creative Industry Summit for the Kentucky Arts Council, at the Convention Center in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Speakers scheduled for the two-day summit included Pam Breaux, National Association of State Arts Agencies CEO;
Jennifer Hughes, National Endowment for the Arts, design specialist;
Leonardo Vazquez, National Consortium for Creative Placemaking executive director;
Matthew and Karine Maynard, Maynard Studios, Inc;
Ron Payne, Owensboro mayor; Al Mattingly, Daviess County Judge-Executive;
Mary Hammond, Paducah Convention and Visitors Bureau;
Richard Young, North Limestone Community Development Corp. director of programs;
Dean Dennis, Owensboro Convention Center general manager;
Debbie Zuerner Johnson, Owensboro Health community outreach manager;
Becky Naugle, Kentucky Small Business Development Center state director;
Tim McNeilly, United States Department of Agriculture rural development coordinator;
and Frank Tate, Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.

Karine lectured on Thursday, and Matt joined in for the panel presentations on Friday. We all know, it's hard to get Matt out of the shop for two days in a row! That was a special retreat. Their lecture "Tools of the Trade: Building Connections to Nurture Your Arts Business", was written by the both of them and discussed how Maynard Studios has grown and expanded their arts business in the past few years. Matt and Karine added personal insights on organizing and keeping the right records, networking with other artists and arts organizations, and tips on how to find the right resources.

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Did you know?

 "Artistic Businesses bring in 4.3% of the National GDP, or 6.98.7 BILLION $$ per year (that's larger than Tourism!), " Pam Breaux, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies CEO ‪#‎createKY‬

There were over 30 visiting national, state and local experts discussing with community and regional arts leaders, artists, arts business owners, creative entrepreneurs, main street directors, tourism commission members and directors, etc. One friend described it as a "$60 registration with $5M worth of ideas shared,". A truly great time was had by all! We are very fortunate to have the Kentucky Arts Council quantifying the role that the arts play in our Commonwealth. We were also very honored to be able to aid our fellow artists and businessmen and women by sharing our experience.

Toward the end of the month we had a visit by photography crew from Texas, and Tadd Meyers of The American Craftsman Project. We had been kickstarter sponsors for their book, and it was great to finally meet and give them a quick tour of our shop. Good luck on your next endeavors, guys! (Hope you enjoyed your time in Kentucky).

Last but not least, Main Street in our small town of  Lawrenceburg, Kentucky is really BOOMING this year! We have several new restaurants, 3 of which we've tried so far.. and a new art gallery! The Art Emporium has opened at 131 South Main Street, and will now be carrying our Small Batch Furniture Line. Keep up with more information on our downtown at Downtown Lawrenceburg's web page. If you're planning a trip for next year... *SAVE THE DATE* Our next Open Studio will be Saturday, November 5th, 2016 from 10 am - 5 pm. See you here!