I was in Houston last week and spied a Blacksmith Statue outside the Astros home stadium. “Forging the Future” is a statue of a Ferrier forging a horseshoe by sculptor Eric Kaposta, was dedicated outside the ballbark in 2002. The statue is a tribute to the Houston blacksmith shop that was founded on the site in 1902 by C. Jim Stewart and Joseph R. Stevenson and grew into the Stewart and Stevenson Corporation.

The second bit of blacksmith/trades related public art was seen on the same day after I flew home and stopped by a Thai place in Anaheim to pick up dinner on my way to the house. “

“Anvil And Nails” by Japanese artist Nobuho Nagasawa. He has said that ‘this installation reflects hard work and labor, and represents the labor provided by blacksmiths who made their own nails and anvils.’

“Hammer Clock” by Daniel Martinez

This piece reflects the passage of time and pays tribute to hard work of the blacksmiths in the original Anahiem colony. It also recalls the street side clocks found typically on a Main street. The pocket watch hangs at a perilous angle resting on a hammerhead twelve feet off the ground, depicting the precarious nature of time: we never have enough it and are constantly on the edge.