Joel Sanderson was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1969. When he was nine years old his family returned to the family farm near Quincy, Michigan. It was there, in 1984 that he converted an old unused farm building into his blacksmith shop, enabling him to pursue his passion in hot metal. In 1993, he had the opportunity to work for blacksmith Michael Bendele, an experience that introduced Joel to the principles of power forging. In 1996, Joel moved to Ancram, New York, where he worked for Arrowsmith Forge. There he was exposed to machining and power forging by pressing and roll forging. Returning to Michigan a year later, he has since pursued his career of sculpting metal in his home studio where he began in his youth.

Joel works primarily in iron (mild steel) but also forges copper, bronze, stainless steel, as well as other metals that lend themselves to the methods he uses. Each element is heated and then formed by hammering, pressing, blending, and sinking to achieve the effect Joel intends. When the parts are jointed together the final form is polished, sanded, and finished with a sealant to protect it in its intended environment. About half of Joel's work is custom, site specific or architectural--designed, and fitted to a specific location. He also creates functional and nonfunctional sculptural pieces, which he sells through galleries. Joel lives with his wife and daughter near Quincy, Michigan.

| The following galleries carry Joel's work: | |
| * | |
| Bier Gallery, Charlevoix, MI | 2003-2008 |
| Portals, LTD, Chicago, IL | 2007-2008 |
| Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH | 2007-2008 |
| The following are places Joel's work has been shown: | |
| Crosby Gardens, Toledo OH | 2000 |
| Lima Arts Gallery, Lima, OH | 2005 |
| ABANA Seattle | 2006 |
| ABANA Richmond * | 2004 |
| Quad State | 1999-2006 |
| SOFA Chicago | 2007 |
| The following publications show Joel's work: | |
| Ironwork Today, Inside and Out; by Dona Z. Meilach, 2006 | |
| The Anvil's Ring, Fall 2001 | |
| The Anvil's Ring, Fall 2002 | |
| The Anvil's Ring, Summer 2004 | |
| The Anvil's Ring, Spring 2005 | |
