Born in 1956 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tom Joyce is a contemporary artist based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Brussels, Belgium. Joyce is highly regarded for his metal sculptures and is recognized as a leading blacksmith. Introduced to iron as a teen, Joyce soon immersed himself in the material. He opted out of a typical educational track, preferring to open his own blacksmith shop. Essentially self-taught, Joyce picked up skills through close observation of historically forged artifacts and by mending and fabricating tools for local farmers and ranchers. Joyce’s sculptures relate closely to the industrial applications of metal, and many are fabricated from salvaged materials. Since opening his own blacksmith shop, Joyce has integrated teaching into his practice and has mentored numerous apprentices. He has also lectured throughout the United States and has been included in exhibitions around the world. His work is represented within many public collections such as the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and the Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minnesota. He has completed a number of large public commissions, including a piece for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Joyce was awarded a fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation in 2003, completed an oral history interview for the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art in 2004, and was given an honorary doctorate from Santa Fe University of Art and Design in 2014. He was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 2003.