“You can spend your whole life wanting to learn (blacksmithing) and never learn it all. Not in one lifetime for sure. There is always something you can learn more about or improve on,” Lyle Wynn the Blacksmith at the Mississippi Crafts Center says early one sticky May morning. “I suppose most of the crafts we have here are like that as well.”
The William Lowe (Bill) Waller, Sr., Craft Center at 950 Ride Road in Ridgeland is the home of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi. It is a treasure trove of crafts and the knowledgeable artisans who know how to make them. Every summer the Guild launches a series of classes with an emphasis on hands-on experience.
Wynn is one of the many artisans that call the Craft Center home. His stocky build and friendly demeanor combined with his notoriety after appearing on History Channel’s Forged In Fire, a blacksmithing competition where contestants have three hours to smith an item, usually a blade or weapon, have made Wynn something of a “rockstar” at the Center.
He inhabits the shed right in front of the building where he teaches blacksmithing, usually in one-on-one scenarios. His main offering is “Tools to make Tools,” a comprehensive seminar that teaches the foundational blocks of the craft where aspiring blacksmiths not only learn the necessary skills but make all the tools they will need to move forward.
Sammy Long teaches woodturning and carving. With nearly 20 years at the craft under his belt, he said that teaching classes keep the tradition alive.
“Without these classes, it is a dying art,” Long said. “It is important to pass this skill on to new people, particularly young people.”
Nancy White Perkins, Craft Center Executive Director, said that they are currently finalizing their slate and details for classes in pottery, woodworking, blacksmithing, glass, jewelry-making, knitting, weaving and fiber surface design for summer and fall. They are also developing a new product they are calling “Craft at the Trace Retreats.” Slated to begin this June, the Guild will offer class retreat packages designed for adults interested in a learning vacation. It will consist of multi-session classes, as well as half day and full day classes offered over a two-week period that will give participants a variety of options from which to choose. Locals and out-of-towners can create a package that works best for them and will include hotel and restaurant packages as well.
“Each summer, the Bill Waller Craft Center hosts multiple sessions of Creative Craft Camp to introduce children to the joy of making things with their hands,” Perkins said. “Expert members of the Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi immerse your child into a fun, creative, and hands-on experience, teaching them the techniques and history of their craft through creating one-of-a-kind pieces of art to take home and cherish for years to come.”
Eryn McCarthy said that the Craft Center gave her a career after her best-laid plans fell through.
“I applied for nursing school and didn’t get in. I had the grades but it is very competitive. I moved back home and started teaching pottery classes here,” McCarthy said.
She now teaches pottery classes through the Guild, an art class at Mannsdale Elementary and she runs a business selling her pottery, Erthy Pottery. McCarthy joined the Guild last summer.
“The Guild has been very good to me,” McCarthy said.
For McCarthy teaching has become a passion.
“It is just so cool how different people work in different ways,” McCarthy said. “You might have one student who keeps messing up but you keep working with them and trying different things and eventually, it clicks and they get excited and I think that's just so cool. I did not have an art class in high school and I think it is just so fulfilling because at the end you have something useful and real. I use my pottery every single day.”
Wynn has been with the Guild for about 11 years, he says. Blacksmithing is in his blood. He said his uncle gave him his grandfather’s blacksmithing tools about 20 years ago. Wynn says teaching has opened up the entire world to him. He has seen people visit the Guild from places like Australia, Brazil and France.
“I teach, mainly,” Wynn said. “I really like meeting people. We have had people come in from all over the world and with social media — it has made the world so small — that you can get on there and talk techniques and gain knowledge from anyone.”
The Guild currently has 44 Madison County residents in the Guild. The City of Madison makes up the largest portion. They have about 350 members in total.
“We have people come in all the time that say I drive by here every day and had no idea what was going on over here,” both Wynn and Perkins said at one point.
Perkins said that getting the word out is an ongoing endeavor.
"We hope Madison County residents realize how lucky they are to have a facility like the Bill Waller Craft Center in their own backyard where they can see and purchase extraordinary art, attend craft events and take classes from some of the region's best artisans,” Perkins said. “There are very few craft facilities like this in the country, and it will only continue to exist if the local community supports it."
For details on any of the summer activities: Check out their website and social media platforms at mscrafts.org or on Facebook at Craftsmen's Guild of MS. Their Instagram is @mscraftsmenguild. You can also click on the subscribe button in the upper right corner of the website to enter your name and email address to start receiving our email newsletter and notices via Constant Contact.
