'AHA HANA LIMA 2026 (Oahu) Small Scale Non-Ferrous Forging: Form & Function Workshop

  • 24 Jan 2026
  • 9:00 AM
  • 25 Jan 2026
  • 5:00 PM
  • University of Hawaii Manoa, Art Department, Metals Studio
  • 1

Registration

(depends on selected options)

Base fee:
  • Regular member tuition $300
    Material Fee is paid to Hawaii Craftsmen at the event ($35)
  • Student tuition $150
    Material Fee is paid to Hawaii Craftsmen at the event ($35)
  • Regular non-member tuition $400
    Material Fee is paid to Hawaii Craftsmen at the event ($35)
  • Registration fee is waived. Material Fee is paid to Hawaii Craftsmen at the event ($35)
Register

Last day to register is Wednesday, Jan. 7

JOIN US FOR 'AHA HANA LIMA 2026 ON OAHU FEATURING GUEST ARTIST LISA GEERTSEN

This hands-on workshop invites participants to explore the fundamentals of forging and metalsmithing with copper, transforming raw metal into functional and beautiful objects. Students will learn core techniques—tapering, spreading, dishing, twisting, sawing, filing, and finishing—while crafting their own forks, spoons, table knives, cuff bracelets, or hairpins. Along the way, you’ll discover how heat and hammering bring copper to life in both form and function. If time allows, we’ll celebrate our work by sharing a meal using the handmade tableware created in class. No prior experience is required—just curiosity and a willingness to swing a hammer. 

We encourage you to attend the artist lecture on Friday, January 23, to learn more about Lisa's work and meet other artists taking the workshop.

SKILLS YOU WILL LEARN

    • Shaping copper through tapering, spreading, and dishing
    • Adding dimension with twisting and forming
    • Precision techniques in sawing and filing
    • Surface finishing for both beauty and function
    • Designing and creating functional items such as utensils, jewelry, and hair accessories

    OAHU WORKSHOP DETAILS

    Hawai'i Craftsmen brings you this workshop in partnership with:

    University of Hawaii Manoa, Art Department

    2535 McCarthy Mall, Honolulu

    Workshop Dates

    Saturday, November 24 & Sunday, November 25
    9 AM - 5 PM

    Material fee:

    $35 (paid to Hawaii Craftsmen on the first day)

    TUITION COSTS

    • Hawai'i Craftsmen Member $300
    • Hawai'i Craftsmen Student Member: $150
    • Non-Members: $400

      SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY

      Hawai'i Craftsmen logo with Educate, Create, Innovate written underneathHawai'i Craftsmen is offering one scholarship for the Oahu workshop, which covers the cost of registration! All Oahu scholarship applications are due by Wednesday, January 7, 2026. To apply for the scholarship, please click here.

      This scholarship is underwritten by the Hawai’i Craftsmen Endowment Fund, and was started with funds donated by Frances Pickens, one of Hawaii Craftsmen's founding members and an award-winning metal artist.

      If you are selected for the scholarship and have already registered, you will be refunded for the tuition amount. Scholarship winners are responsible for covering the lab fee ($35) due to the instructor on the first day of the workshop.

      ABOUT LISA GEERTSEN

      This three-day intensive will methodically piece together the steps necessary to make tumblers, bowls and bottles in clear glass.   On day one, we will revisit the tumbler, focusing on thinness, puntys, and working efficiently.  Day two will focus on the bowl.  By simplifying the process, students will learn to make a variety of bowl forms while gaining confidence in the blowing process.  Day three will explore the particular heating and shaping skills needed to form the bottle.   Instruction will be personalized and detailed to your level of experience.  Working efficiently, creating thinner pieces and building confidence will be the goals of the course. 
      This three-day intensive will methodically piece together the steps necessary to make tumblers, bowls and bottles in clear glass.   On day one, we will revisit the tumbler, focusing on thinness, puntys, and working efficiently.  Day two will focus on the bowl.  By simplifying the process, students will learn to make a variety of bowl forms while gaining confidence in the blowing process.  Day three will explore the particular heating and shaping skills needed to form the bottle.   Instruction will be personalized and detailed to your level of experience.  Working efficiently, creating thinner pieces and building confidence will be the goals of the course. 
      This three-day intensive will methodically piece together the steps necessary to make tumblers, bowls and bottles in clear glass.   On day one, we will revisit the tumbler, focusing on thinness, puntys, and working efficiently.  Day two will focus on the bowl.  By simplifying the process, students will learn to make a variety of bowl forms while gaining confidence in the blowing process.  Day three will explore the particular heating and shaping skills needed to form the bottle.   Instruction will be personalized and detailed to your level of experience.  Working efficiently, creating thinner pieces and building confidence will be the goals of the course. 
      This three-day intensive will methodically piece together the steps necessary to make tumblers, bowls and bottles in clear glass.   On day one, we will revisit the tumbler, focusing on thinness, puntys, and working efficiently.  Day two will focus on the bowl.  By simplifying the process, students will learn to make a variety of bowl forms while gaining confidence in the blowing process.  Day three will explore the particular heating and shaping skills needed to form the bottle.   Instruction will be personalized and detailed to your level of experience.  Working efficiently, creating thinner pieces and building confidence will be the goals of the course. 
      This three-day intensive will methodically piece together the steps necessary to make tumblers, bowls and bottles in clear glass.   On day one, we will revisit the tumbler, focusing on thinness, puntys, and working efficiently.  Day two will focus on the bowl.  By simplifying the process, students will learn to make a variety of bowl forms while gaining confidence in the blowing process.  Day three will explore the particular heating and shaping skills needed to form the bottle.   Instruction will be personalized and detailed to your level of experience.  Working efficiently, creating thinner pieces and building confidence will be the goals of the course. 
      This three-day intensive will methodically piece together the steps necessary to make tumblers, bowls and bottles in clear glass.   On day one, we will revisit the tumbler, focusing on thinness, puntys, and working efficiently.  Day two will focus on the bowl.  By simplifying the process, students will learn to make a variety of bowl forms while gaining confidence in the blowing process.  Day three will explore the particular heating and shaping skills needed to form the bottle.   Instruction will be personalized and detailed to your level of experience.  Working efficiently, creating thinner pieces and building confidence will be the goals of the course. 
      This three-day intensive will methodically piece together the steps necessary to make tumblers, bowls and bottles in clear glass.   On day one, we will revisit the tumbler, focusing on thinness, puntys, and working efficiently.  Day two will focus on the bowl.  By simplifying the process, students will learn to make a variety of bowl forms while gaining confidence in the blowing process.  Day three will explore the particular heating and shaping skills needed to form the bottle.   Instruction will be personalized and detailed to your level of experience.  Working efficiently, creating thinner pieces and building confidence will be the goals of the course. 
      This three-day intensive will methodically piece together the steps necessary to make tumblers, bowls and bottles in clear glass. On day one, we will revisit the tumbler, focusing on thinness, puntys, and working efficiently. Day two will focus on the bowl. By simplifying the process, students will learn to make a variety of bowl forms while gaining confidence in the blowing process. Day three will explore the particular heating and shaping skills needed to form the bottle. Instruction will be personalized and detailed to your level of experience. Working efficiently, creating thinner pieces and building confidence will be the goals of the course.
       

      Lisa Geertsen is a Seattle-based artist blacksmith and owner of Firelight Forge, creating custom architectural and sculptural work since 2007. She is currently Instructional Technician in Sculpture at the University of Washington and previously managed the Metal and Stone Sculpture Studios at Pratt Fine Arts Center (2013–2020).

      She holds a BFA in Sculpture from West Virginia University (1997) and an MFA in Blacksmithing and Metalsmithing from Southern Illinois University (2023). A teacher and demonstrator nationwide, she has shared her expertise at Penland, Haystack, John C. Campbell Folk School, and through blacksmithing festivals and virtual programs.

      Her work has been exhibited across the U.S. and Europe, including her 2018 solo show in Olympia, WA, featuring 48 pieces from her Hearts series. A founding member of the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths, Geertsen is dedicated to expanding representation and diversity in the field. 

      To learn more about Lisa, visit her website: www.firelightforge.com




      HAWAII CRAFTSMEN IS SUPPORTED BY THE HAWAI’I STATE FOUNDATION ON CULTURE AND THE ARTS,  THE HAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, THE ATHERTON FAMILY FOUNDATION, THE COOKE FOUNDATION, THE MCINERNY FOUNDATION, THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, THE LAILA TWIGG-SMITH ART FUND, SEVERAL PRIVATE FAMILY FOUNDATIONS AND OUR MEMBERS

      HAWAI‘I CRAFTSMEN 1110 NUUANU AVE, HONOLULU, HI 96817 • info@hawaiicraftsmen.org • 808-521-3282

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