Nina Yao (they/them) is originally from North Carolina and graduated Davidson College with a BFA in Environmental Social Studies in 2021. Dispirited by the working environment of local government after graduation, they struck out to build a career in blacksmithing and art in 2022. Since then, a variety of classes and mentors have helped them grow their skills and knowledge. In 2024 they received a scholarship to attend John C. Campbell Folk School’s traditional mentorship in blacksmithing and a scholarship for spring concentration at Penland School of Craft with Anna Koplik. The same year, they assisted Anna Koplik in classes at Peter’s Valley School of Craft (NJ) and Salem Art Works (NY). They were a work-study at John C. Campbell Folk School in 2025 and assisted Meghan Martin’s class at Penland immediately after. Throughout all these opportunities, Nina has been creating work and teaching classes at Shopspace in Raleigh, NC, a community makerspace. 

 

Nina is currently the Smithy Apprentice (2025-2027) at the Metal Museum in Memphis, TN, where they continue to hone their metalworking skills, explore new facets of their practice, and introduce students to the joy of blacksmithing. They received a scholarship to attend a class at the Center for the Metal Arts in 2026, and were invited to compete in the Cambria Iron Conference’s 2026 Forging Invitational. They are also a current fellow in the UrbanArt Commission’s Public Art Fellowship, where they are collaborating with the Douglass community in Memphis to create their first public art sculpture.