OUR IMPACT
Uniting Creativity and Craftsmanship
For over 20 years, Adam’s Forge has been a space where creativity meets craftsmanship. We’re a nonprofit art center dedicated to keeping the metal arts alive and making them accessible to everyone.
Hands-on metal arts, taught for real life
Hands-on metal arts, taught for real life
Accessible craft for all backgrounds
Accessible craft for all backgrounds1,500+ students served across SoCal
1,500+ students served across SoCal
Nonprofit, community-powered, impact-driven
Nonprofit, community-powered, impact-drivenOur Mission
Adam’s Forge is part of a living continuum of handcrafted human culture.
Blacksmithing has shaped and been shaped by millions of hands from all over the world. Our mission is to carry the metal arts into the future, ensuring that it continues to be molded by a diverse and inclusive group.
We teach the foundational skills of blacksmithing and metalworking: how to shape, design, and build with your own hands. And through that process, we reconnect people to something essential: focus, movement, collaboration, and joy.
Real Skills. Real Impact.
At Adam’s Forge, learning goes beyond the anvil.
These events reflect the heart of our mission: to keep the metal arts alive by making them accessible and inclusive.
Students gain problem-solving, patience, and confidence. The forge brings together people of all backgrounds – artists, engineers, teens, veterans, retirees – each discovering how creativity and craft can transform their sense of self and community.
Blacksmithing is physical, scientific, and creative all at once. It brings the body and mind together. For many, it’s the antidote to screen time, a chance to rediscover the physical world and your own capabilities within it.
25 years of Impact
From our base in Simi Valley, our 25 years of impact reach students across Los Angeles, Ventura, the San Fernando Valley, and beyond.
1,500+
students served
240+
classes taught
16
new workshops added
20+
open forges hosted
80
scholarships awarded
2,700+
volunteer hours contributed
$227,000+
from programs & gift cards
$40,000+
community donations raised
Community Connection
Our impact extends beyond the workshop. Each year, Adam’s Forge teams up with museums, heritage societies, art centers, and public events across Southern California to bring live blacksmithing demos to thousands of people. Recent partnerships include:
- The Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park
- Reyes Adobe Days in Agoura Hills
- The Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights
- The Craft Contemporary art museum on Wilshire Boulevard
- The Craft in America Center
These events are open to the public and often take place in underserved or ESL communities. For many, they’re a first introduction to the metal arts, a chance to see sparks fly, meet friendly volunteers, and feel that this is a space for them too.
A Grassroots Nonprofit, Built by Volunteers
Adam’s Forge is run by a small team and a large community of volunteers. We’re grassroots at heart, powered by people who believe in passing on creativity and craft. Every hour of teaching, every donated tool, and every new student keeps this mission alive.
Carrying Adam’s Spirit Forward
Adam Leventhal was a sculptor, teacher, and community builder. His art combined humor, politics, and humanity, and was always made to be shared. After his sudden passing in 2000, Adam’s Forge was founded in his memory to continue what he started: bringing people together through craft.
His legacy lives on in every class we teach, every student we welcome, and every piece we make.
Support Our Work
Your sponsorships and donations helps us expand our programs, train new instructors, and keep classes affordable for everyone.
Together, we’re preserving the skills, tools, and traditions that define the metal arts and forging into the future.
