By Paula Lehman/WEST OAKLAND

Michael Sturtz, founder of the Crucible in West Oakland

The brick warehouse on the corner of 7th and Union radiates heat, beckoning the curious to enter the shop on a chilly December afternoon. You walk through the doors into a small office, but that gives you a misleading first impression. Founder Michael Sturtz, a relaxed character adorned in all black, opens the next door to reveal a 56,000 square feet maze of industrial art studios. The hum of a furnace echoes through the halls. The bang of a hammer on metal booms from the blacksmith’s studio. A creative energy fills up the massive space.

The Crucible teaches people how to weld, how to work with metal and how to work with fire. It started in 1999 when Sturtz opened up shop in West Berkeley. After years of dissatisfaction with traditional arts training, Sturtz was looking for a way to counteract the competitive, non-collaborative environment he experienced at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

“School was frustrating and I felt I could do a better job,” Sturtz said. “I wanted a more hands-on and community-based experienced.”

Six months after leaving Chicago, Sturtz set up shop in West Berkeley. With a $1,750 grant and $20,000 of personal investment he rented a 6,000 square foot shop that became the Crucible.

Wood working is gaining traction amongst artists who come into the Crucible

The Crucible has exploded in popularity. It went from renting the small shop in West Berkeley to owning the 56,000 square feet in West Oakland.  The Crucible’s budget skyrocketed from $50,000 to over $3 million, due to its programmatic growth. Sturtz attributes this to widespread viral exposure.

“There’s a creative buzz or vibe that is contagious, so word of mouth really helped our growth,” he said.

The Crucible also holds special events now and then to do a little bit of showing off In the first week of January, the shop will put on its 10th annual fire ballet fundraising event, where various artists—from aerialists to dancers to designers—put on an elaborate performance of fire and dance. Past performances include Romeo and Juliet and Stravinsky’s Fire Bird. This year’s performance is Dracul Prince of Fire, the legend of Dracula’s father.

The props for the show are all made in-house, and some are even made on stage during the production. Actors pour molten glass and metal into molds as sparks and neon yellows shock audiences.

Students use torches to weld and create everything from sculptures to bicycles.

But the Crucible remains primarily an educational institution. Sturtz and his crew run approximately 180 classes a session, which are attended by 5,000 adults every year and anywhere between 3,000 and 4,000 kids. Welding, glass and jewelry making have always been popular, but more recently the woodworking and new kinetics classes, such as a robotics class for kids, are hot these days.

The word “crucible,” a vessel used for melting metal and glass at high temperatures, also connotes a trial or test of belief and a place where concentrated forces come together to cause change and development.  The shop, Sturtz says, embodies all these meanings of the word.

For more information on the Crucible and special upcoming events visit TheCrucible.org.