Matt Jenkins, St. Andrews, Manitoba
cloverdaleforge.com
instagram.com/cloverdaleforge
Matt Jenkins grew up in a household that made it by hand. His path into blacksmithing began through his father and took hold during a summer job at the blacksmith shop at Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site.
Today, Matt Jenkins is a Manitoba-based artist blacksmith dedicated to designing and forging highly crafted work. His early interest in making was shaped by childhood exposure to tools and building, and later sharpened through work at the blacksmith shop at Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site. Over the past 30 years, he has honed his skills through hands-on practice and study with master smiths across North America, developing a body of work that combines traditional blacksmithing techniques with a strong sense of design.
Matt has earned international recognition at the World Forging Championship in Stia, Italy, receiving an Honorable Mention in team forging in 2009 and first place in Drawing and Design in 2015. In 2016, he undertook the #366Hooks project, designing and forging a different hook every day for a full leap year. That ambitious exploration of variation, utility, and sculptural form later evolved into his 2024 book, HOOKED: A Blacksmith’s Study of Function Through Form.
Using hand tools and early industrial equipment, Matt creates forged work with the timeless feel of handmade objects. Alongside his studio practice at Cloverdale Forge, he teaches workshops, gives demonstrations, and has taught at the John C. Campbell Folk School and the Center for Metal Arts. His work continues to balance craftsmanship, inquiry, and a desire to keep blacksmithing active, relevant, and alive.