Help Hardy & Fuller: A Metal Space open its doors!

Hardy & Fuller: A Metal Space is getting ready to move into its permanent location!  We've been working hard to get things established and ready, and we're looking forward to welcoming people of all kinds to our classes, open studio, and special events.

OUR VISION:

Hardy & Fuller: A Metal Space is a unique project that will combine several goals to enrich and improve the artistic community in Denver, Colorado. First, this project will help create an artist live/work opportunity that will be converted to an artist’s residency program after the initial phase of viability. Secondly, it will focus on a community metal maker space that will make it very easy to access tools and materials to learn traditional blacksmith techniques, as well as offer open studio time for those wishing to explore and further their artistic skills that pertains to metalwork and sculpture. 

This space will be created as a safe space for those underrepresented in specialized metal trades, such as women,  the LGBTQ+ community, the disabled community, and the BIPOC community. Persons wanting to participate in this community will have the opportunity to learn the rare art of blacksmithing from a BIPOC and queer woman with 10 years of experience in metal arts and blacksmith techniques. She will encourage community members to create metal art of all kinds and will foster creative ideas during classes and open studio time, so that community members feel that they are further developing their artistic talents. She will also create a live work space in this location, with the goal of creating future affordable housing and artist residency opportunities for Denver's local artist community. 

It is also very important for this project to promote and facilitate opportunities for youth, teens, and families to expand the interest in and appreciation of the metal arts beginning at a young age. This will continue an ongoing relationship with The Art Students League of Denver, which provides scholarship resources to these groups.

More broadly, the space will be open to anyone pursuing metal work as a hobby or as a craft, and will liaise with other local makerspaces, and artisanal/vocational training centers in order to foster exchange within the larger community. It will also create relationships with other local blacksmiths and metal workers to form a visiting artist program to expand the knowledge available to those participating in Hardy & Fuller.

OUR FOUNDER:

Ashe Thorne is a queer, BIPOC metal artist and teacher who combines thorough and versatile experience in her field with a unique enthusiasm and a knack for teaching.  She's dedicated and passionate, hard working and dynamic, and she's the perfect person to lead this endeavor.

THE GOOD NEWS:

We have a lot going for us in this project! We've generated a lot of interest in our community, we've networked with metal arts supply shops and organizations, and across the board the response has been overwhelmingly positive.  Almost everyone we speak to talks in a personal way about how exciting the prospect is for them, and how much they've wanted to see something like this in Denver.

We've also already received a certain percentage of our funding through other channels like the Colorado Enterprise Fund and other grant organizations.

We've even found the perfect property for our shop and are pursuing a commercial lease. 

BUT!...

At the moment entrepreneurs and small business owners are facing unprecedented difficulty in launching new ventures, both due to the ongoing economic climate as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to a particularly high level of financial scrutiny on the part of lenders and landlords, each requiring high levels of security and confidence in order to move forward. 

Additionally, we are in need of leasehold improvements that require permitting, which according to current timelines may delay our grand opening, and this (combined with continuing uncertainty) may make our first month or so more difficult than might be ideal.

SO...

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Because of these factors, we are raising every spare dollar we can muster!  Your donation will help get us in the door so we are able to open and begin providing these services to our community, and it will make our first months in business a little easier, and more sustainable to manage.

If you're able, please consider donating to our project!  We can tell you sincerely we'll appreciate it and the dollars you'll spend will go a long way towards establishing this resource, so that many more people will benefit from your contribution.