School of Bladesmithing receives $15K donation
OLD WASHINGTON, Ark. — The Custom Knife Collectors Association recently donated $15,000 to the newly renovated campus of the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana’s James Black School of Bladesmithing and Historic Trades.
CKCA is an organization which recognizes and promotes the artistic significance of handmade knives in the 21st Century, to advance their collection and conservation and to support the craft and creative expression of the individuals who design and make them.
UAHT is launching the new bladesmith school this spring to celebrate and preserve the art of bladesmithing and the birth of the famous Bowie Knife in Arkansas. The historic campus will offer state-of-the-art facilities and instruction in a setting that is steeped in the history and heritage of the artistic trade.
In 1831, James Black crafted the original Bowie knife in Washington, Arkansas. The result was that Washington, Arkansas and Black became almost immediately famous for producing what is now recognized as the official blade of the State of Arkansas and the National American Blade. The Bowie Knife is also designated as the official knife of the State of Arkansas. Earlier this year, the Arkansas General Assembly passed, and Governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law ACT 818, which designated Historic Washington, Arkansas, as the “Birthplace of the Bowie Knife, Arkansas Heritage Site” and designated UAHT to develop and operate a school of bladesmithing located in Historic Washington.