About Ms Caitlin Ms Caitlin. Photo by Emily Gude.
Caitlin hangs out with the misfits and scallywags. She sings loudly and out of tune. She is partial to walks in the rain. But the most important thing is this: Caitlin loves blacksmithing.
The Vermont native runs Ms Caitlin’s School in Frederick, Maryland, and Lititz, Pennsylvania, which is dedicated to sharing the craft with as many unsuspecting people as possible. She also teaches around the world. Ms Caitlin is a founding member of the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths. She is making the craft more accessible and inclusive through pioneering body mechanic research, and neuroscience-based teaching curriculum. When you put hammer to hot steel, you want Caitlin there to guide, mentor, and inspire you. She’s good at lighting fires. About Sophia Sophia.
Sophia has been enamored with hand crafted objects and the traditional crafts for as long as she can remember. She is drawn to metal and is an admirer of its durability and steadfastness. She likes to forge homeware and tools that are functional, delicate, and beautiful.
She loves repurposing metal from scrap yards to create functional tools and objects. Sophia is very honored and excited to be joining the teaching team at Ms. Caitlin's School of Blacksmithing and to be herself a perpetual student of this ancient and traditional craft. When she is not smithing, Sophia is teaching little humans outside in a garden, singing, cooking, dancing or weaving. About Matthew
Matthew builds joy out of steel. His sculptures are playful, inventive, and sometimes impossible-seeming—proof that he can forge, weld, or fabricate just about anything he sets his mind to. His work is known for bold imagination paired with obsessive attention to detail.
Raised in small-town Indiana, Matthew wandered jungles, mountains, and oceans before landing in Lititz, Pennsylvania, where he now creates and teaches. His sculptures have been shown in over a hundred exhibits and installed in parks, gardens, and collections nationwide. In the classroom, Matthew shares the thrill of making something real—whether that’s a sculpture, a weld, or the discovery that they can do more than they thought possible. Check out Matthew's website at: https://matthewjleavell.com/ |
Passionate About Inclusion
The Founding Members of the Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths, 2018.
@LeslieTharpDesigns @Alice_Rehammer @firelightforge @Ryna_Cady @KlickaAnn @RivetedRabbitStudio @LM_metaldesign @MsCaitlinsSchool @MCoyneBlacksmith @hamclarty @__redmetal__ #societyofinclusiveblacksmiths #inclusiveblacksmithing
Photo by Michelle Smith-Lewis
At Ms Caitlin's School, we want EVERYONE to have a chance to learn blacksmithing, regardless of whether they "look like a blacksmith".
Ms Caitlin joined a group of 10 other professional female blacksmiths & metalworkers in Portland, OR in 2018 to found The Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths. Our MissionTo support and promote the craft of blacksmithing, custom-made metalwork, and the blacksmithing community.
To support and promote diversity in the blacksmithing community. Our Teaching PhilosophyI teach blacksmithing as a path to empowerment, curiosity, and joyful mastery. When students leave my classes, I want them to feel pain-free, delighted, and confident enough to keep learning on their own.
Empowerment as independence. My goal as a teacher is to help students learn how to learn. Empowerment means they can keep growing long after class ends — exploring, experimenting, and trusting themselves to figure things out. Meeting fear directly. Fear is one of the biggest things that slows learning down. In my forge, we name the fear, talk about the worst-case scenario, and make a plan together. Whether it’s fear of injury or fear of disappointment, I take it seriously — because most fear dissolves when someone feels seen, respected, and supported. Attention is limited. Humans can only focus on one thing at a time, and that’s not a flaw — it’s how we’re wired. My job is to edit: to point out the one or two variables that will make the biggest difference and let the rest wait. Simplifying isn’t dumbing down; it’s honoring how people actually learn and helping them make real progress. Play as learning. Play is how humans learn best. It’s open-minded experimentation, not careless risk-taking. You can play safely and seriously at the same time. Safety deserves attention, but learning thrives when curiosity is alive and mistakes are welcome. The teacher’s role. I see my role as explaining, observing, asking, offering, and telling the story of what’s happening for each student so they can understand themselves and their work more deeply. My job isn’t to hold the knowledge — it’s to help students discover their own. Mutual respect and consent. Real learning only happens in an environment of mutual respect. I don’t teach or touch without consent. I want students to engage with what I offer in their own way and at their own pace. Boundaries — of time, materials, energy — aren’t restrictions; they’re the framework that allows everyone to work safely, freely, and with trust. Teaching through storytelling. Storytelling is one of my favorite tools. Explaining what’s happening through story helps students see that they have the power to change the outcome. When we connect cause and effect through story, learning becomes memorable and meaningful — something that stays with them long after the class ends. LocationsFrederick, Maryland
26 West All Saints Street, Frederick, MD 21701 Lititz, Pennsylvania 130 Rodney Ln, Lititz, PA 17543 Hours are by appointment only. |