With sparks flying and molten metal glowing, Colorado Mesa University art students turned teamwork into art at the annual Iron Pour.
Every fall, the Sculpture Guild and CMU’s Department of Art and Design bring together all skill levels within the program for the Iron Pour. Students from introductory 3D design classes to advanced sculpture courses gather to melt, pour and shape metal into one-of-a-kind works of art.
“We pour about 4,000 pounds of molten iron into student projects, ranging from probably 300 to 400 different molds, all made by individual students,” Associate Professor of Sculpture Araan Schmidt said.
The process is intense and collaborative and serves as a perfect hands-on learning opportunity. In the weeks leading up to Artober fest, students spend several weeks preparing, learning the process of mold-making, melting and transferring metal into a mold, and furnace and cupola operation.
For Sculpture Guild President Andrew Griffenberg, the event is about more than art. It’s a great way to build community and represents that sculpture is all about teamwork.
“There's nothing like pouring molten metal and there's nothing like having the team that we do,” Griffenberg said. “My favorite part, I think, is the community and the camaraderie that's here because sculpture is such a team sport. It takes so many people and so much effort. It's just such a great team-building activity.”
Students of all levels and skill sets worked together on the project as a team. Advanced students worked alongside students who’ve never experienced pouring molds for a subversive learning experience.
“They just show up and they start doing things and they don't even know that they're learning, but they're becoming a part of the community,” Schmidt said.
To celebrate CMU’s 100th anniversary, the Sculpture Guild created a performance piece with carved pumpkins, pouring molten metal into the pumpkins, and creating a cascading waterfall.
The Sculpture Guild and Department of Art and Design host the iron pour event twice a year, giving students plenty of opportunities to refine their skills and strengthen their creative bonds prior to graduation.
“This is a pretty unique program in the sense that we not only are metal casting, but we're doing metal casting at this scale on an undergraduate level,” Schmidt said. “There's only a couple of universities in Colorado that even do this, so we're proud to be one of them. And maybe one of the best.”
