C. Carl Jennings

C. Carl Jennings
Born
Cecil Carl Jennings

(1910-04-10)April 10, 1910
Marion, Illinois, U.S.
DiedMay 13, 2003(2003-05-13) (aged 93)
Sonoma, California, U.S.
EducationCalifornia College of Arts and Crafts (BFA)
OccupationsVisual artist, metalworker, blacksmith, educator
SpouseElizabeth Anne Gallaghan
AwardsAmerican Craft Council Fellow (1988)

Cecil Carl Jennings, commonly known as C. Carl Jennings (April 10, 1910 – May 13, 2003), was an American visual artist, metalworker, blacksmith, and educator. He owned El Diablo Forge, later known as C. Carl Jennings Metalsmith in Northern California. Jennings was named a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 1988.

Life and career

Cecil Carl Jennings was born on April 10, 1910, in Marion, Illinois. He was a third generation blacksmith; both his father, John Washington Jennings, and his grandfather, William Parish Jennings, were blacksmiths.[1][2]

He graduated in 1934 from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland (later known as California College of the Arts), where he studied under Harry St. John Dixon Jr. and Jacques Schnier.[3][4] He completed an apprenticeship under John Forester.[1]

During World War II, he worked at Naval Air Station Alameda as a welder and metalworker.[1]

Jennings was the owner of El Diablo Forge that opened in 1947 in Lafayette, California as a coal forge, in 1965 the business converted to a gas forge for health reasons, and by 1969 it was moved to 3500 Westach Way in Sonoma, California.[1][2] With the move his business name was changed to C. Carl Jennings Metalsmith, and they acquired 5 acres (2.0 ha) of land.[2] Jennings was known for his creation of architectural details, like iron railings, and light fixtures.[2]

In 1973, Jennings served as one of the judges for the California State Fair art show.[5] Jennings was named a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 1988.[3] He was a member of the Metal Arts Guild of Northern California,[2] and a founding member of the California Blacksmith Association (CBA).[4]

Jennings work can be found in collections, including at the San Francisco Arts Commission.[6]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Group exhibitions

  • Metal Arts: Martin K. Weber, Florence Dixon, and C. Carl Jennings (1974), group exhibition, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, California[10][11]
  • Contemporary Iron '87 (1988), traveling group exhibition organized by the Louisville Art Gallery in Louisville, Kentucky and the Southern Arts Federation in Atlanta[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Garcia, Brooke (May 28, 2019). "Inside the Collection: C. Carl Jennings". Metal Museum. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Famous El Diablo Forge C. Carl Jennings to move to Sonoma". The Squire. June 25, 1969. p. 8. Retrieved January 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Metal of honor". The Commercial Appeal. August 31, 1990. p. 52. Retrieved January 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Oral history interview with C. Carl Jennings, 1994 Dec. 20, Overview". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. December 20, 1994. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  5. ^ "Judge Named For Art Show". The Sacramento Union. June 2, 1973. p. 14. Retrieved January 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Untitled". San Francisco Arts Commission. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  7. ^ "Carl Jennings' Craft". Walnut Creek Sun. January 15, 1965. p. 23. Retrieved January 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Iron Sculpture". San Francisco Chronicle. August 9, 1967. p. 41. Retrieved January 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Struck by Modernism". Mingei International Museum. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  10. ^ "Metal Arts". The Press Democrat. January 25, 1974. p. 11. Retrieved January 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "County metal artists will exhibit works in Berkeley". The Press Democrat. January 23, 1974. p. 15. Retrieved January 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Patterson, Tom (August 14, 1988). "Show Highlights Iron-for-Art's-(and Craft's) Sake". Winston-Salem Journal. p. 84. Retrieved January 15, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
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