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Red Metal
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Red Metal is a female-owned and operated contemporary blacksmithing shop in Waynesville NC. Rachel David moved from New Orleans in 2020 and repurposed a former furniture factory to become her studio. A blacksmith, sculptor, and designer, Rachel’s holistic metalwork practice encompasses art, furniture, architectural elements, activism, and collaboration. The basic vocabulary focuses on social inequalities, environmental degradation, and systemic prejudices. She works as a co-conspirator and ally to expose societal injustices and to promote productive conversations about them.

Her work is inspired by her experiences, the landscapes that she’s travelled, and the processes of metalworking that she uses, including forging, forming, and fabricating. The forms and textures created by tooling, chasing, carving, and repousse techniques reference physical restraints, shibari, cellulite, valleys, hills, and crevasses. Her furniture is an expression of conceptual grit and a practice in the relationships between ornament, utility, and feeling. Each creative opportunity is another chance to challenge herself as a maker and citizen: a moment to take risks to express her feelings and expand her understanding of both materials and concepts.

Rachel typically does custom work, but there are often unique pieces of furniture and smaller items such as vases, sculptures, and candelabra available for purchase. Visitors to Red Metal are welcome to view the shop, talk about projects, see works in progress, and enjoy blacksmithing demonstrations upon request. The shop is a large and varied facility with several power hammers; equipment for forging, milling, and turning; and an area for fabrication.

Open by Appointment 

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