Welcome to the Architectural Ornamental Metal Art Initiative

Welcome to canarthandworksaomai.com, the online home of C. A. N. Art Handworks and the Architectural Ornamental Art Initiative, where Old World Master Craftsmanship meets great possibilities in one of America's most classic urban atmospheres!

Discover treasures of America's Industrial Arts heritage as you learn about the many facets of restoring a historically significant portion of Detroit's Old City Hall, investigate Detroit's Ornamental Metal Art heritage, and recall the life paths of great personalities whose names today often escape public notice, but whose legacies remain so integral in the development of American society.

Right down to the location at Detroit's Historic Fort Wayne, the Architectural Ornamental Art Initiative and its curriculum are steeped in American history. Built in 1841, Historic Fort Wayne is  the strategically located fort where American civilians transformed into American soldiers to defend our nation in battles from the Civil War to Vietnam. Historic Fort Wayne is also home of  the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum.

AOMAI students enjoy an immersive experience at Historic Fort Wayne as they commence their work in the same buildings where Union soldiers once prepared for battle against Confederate troops. Using techniques of the Classical Tradition, students learn to create artwork of wrought iron at an anvil and forge in original facilities.

We invite you to browse around this site to learn about possibilities for restoring America's Industrial Arts heritage, as well as the possibilities for AOMAI apprentices to play a significant role in recreating the beauty of the Industrial Arts to their former glory. So many of these artifacts emerged at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, and had once so ornately adorned the City of Detroit.