Rocky Mountain Smiths is pleased to offer a three-day conference
featuring Joshua Rachita, and Stephan Yusko demonstrating 2 sessions each. We will have a group project, and Saturday evening will be a forging competition. Conference will be held from 12 PM Wednesday thru 12 PM Sunday at Stuart Shirley's Shop in Broomfield, CO.

Overnight accommodations: Several hotels are within easy access to the Conference site (see list below). Space is available for overnight camping with either tents or recreational trailers, however, utility hook-ups are not provided. Campers can arrive after noon on Wednesday the 19th.

• Courtyard by Marriott Denver North/Westminster
• WoodSpring Suites Thornton - North Denver
• TownePlace Suites by Marriott Denver North - Thornton
• DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Denver – Thornton
• Hampton Inn and Suites Lafayette
• Aloft Denver North Westminster

Joshua Rachita is a 23-year-old blacksmith from Gloucester, Virginia. Josh focuses on 18th century iron-working and has worked for Colonial Williamsburg and Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Josh has also worked with notable blacksmiths like Evan Wilson and Mark Ling. Josh currently works at a historic preservation company called Blackcreek Workshop in Toano, Virginia. His work has been sent to numerous other historic sites like Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest. Josh’s demo will focus on traditional forging techniques and how and why they can be applied to modern work.

Stephen Yusko creates sculpture, furniture, vessels, jewelry and public art in his Cleveland, OH studio using mixed material combined with forged, machined and fabricated steel. Yusko has taught at several schools and universities, including Haystack School of Crafts (ME), Penland School of Crafts (NC), and SUNY Purchase. He has exhibited his work widely including the Metal Museum (TN) and the Ruthin Craft Centre (Wales, UK) and has received four Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Excellence Awards. Yusko’s work was featured in a 13-page article in the summer 2022 issue of Metalsmith Magazine. Visit Instagram or Facebook at @stephenyuskostudios to see more.