Ricardo Vilar

Southwest Arkansas

Master bladesmith from Nashville, Arkansas, by way of Brazil, recognized by the Historic City of Washington as their Master Bladesmith.

Steel forged across continents and generations.

Ricardo Vilar is a master bladesmith based in Nashville, Arkansas, by way of Brazil. With more than 30 years of experience forging knives, his work bridges Brazilian and Arkansas knife-making traditions through deep craft and rigorous study of historic techniques.

Vilar is recognized by the Historic City of Washington as their Master Bladesmith, anchoring the bladesmithing legacy of southwest Arkansas at one of the country’s longest-running historic craft sites.

At the Arkansas Folklife Festival, Vilar appears in conversation with fellow master bladesmith Jerry Fisk to discuss the practice and lineage of knife-making in Arkansas.