CALEB KULLMAN MASTERCLASS - 26 Forged Metal Students Collaborate in Innovative Bench Project

Being here has been great! I’ve been really impressed with the facility and I’ve been impressed with the student body. They’ve worked really hard and they’re learning a lot and they’re really enjoying it. They’re collaborating, they’re working well together.

Caleb Kullman

It was good to collaborate with people from different years. Being able to team up with students that have more experience meant that I got to learn a lot from them, which I found very helpful. Working to a set design and to a deadline in a team gave me the opportunity to feel what it would be like to work on a professional commission which was really useful too.

Omar Assal, first year student

The first day of the masterclass was a lot of fun when we made the components for the benches, it was non-stop and I enjoyed being so busy. It was nice working with students from different years, meeting new people and learning new skills. It was a very sociable experience as well as educational. I hadn’t worked in a team in the forge before and I really liked that aspect too.

Noah Bayley, first year student

Masterclass week was a great experience, working with an established blacksmith who can teach you anything and everything but also working with blacksmiths across all years, getting to know people and receiving loads of tips and advice. For me as a first year it was particularly helpful because it exposed me to a range of new processes that I hadn't seen before which I can use as inspiration for my own forged art.

Malachy Eckford, first year student

The Caleb Kullman masterclass was a great opportunity for all of the blacksmiths in HCA to work together in a way that we hadn't before. We were led by MA students and all 60 or so of us were mixed into random groups across cohorts. Despite these people being my peers, it gave all of us a chance to speak and work with people we never would have prior. This helps us to be a stronger community of smiths and learn more through every individual’s personal experience with forged steel.

Henry Bircham, second year student

As a team leader during the masterclass run by Caleb Kullman, I had the privilege of working with and leading a fantastic group of students. We worked together to create a bench of Caleb’s design and had lots of fun learning new techniques and ways of working in a large group. I’ve had comments from my team members saying that they felt more comfortable working with others and that they were happy with the positive environment for learning.

Logan Dootson, MA Forged Metal Arts

The 2026 Masterclass with Caleb Kullman was a brilliant insight into architectural forged work. Working as teams to create 6 benches, the week began forging the majority of the leg components, before moving onto the assembly later in the week. Within the groups, different tasks were allocated to suit skill level and interests, ensuring everyone had a key role in making the benches. Having never made a bench before, it was a valuable opportunity to understand the consideration when designing and forging public furniture, particularly in the ordering and workflow when making them as a group.

Bran Davies, MA Forged Metal Arts

The masterclass offers us all an opportunity to work with a blacksmith at the top of their game. It is an amazing chance to learn from them through the set project and to ask questions about their inspirations, processes and professional journey. It is excellent to have a project which brings all four year groups together. The Master students and third years get a sense of how far they have come by getting to share skills with the first years, and it’s great for the first years to be introduced to more senior students and learn from them. The team leaders acquire a new skill set managing a team, fresh challenges preparing them for the professional environment

Project Lead Tutor, HCA: Max Anderson