In
1988 Tom Gipe, Wayne Potratz and a cadre like-minded of artist
foundrymen brought the first National Conference on Contemporary Art to
Sloss. After a second conference at Sloss in 1994, the event went international, to be hosted not only in the USA but also abroad, most recently at the Kidwelly Industrial Museum in Wales.
But
1994 marked a turning point for Sloss as well, for that year marked the
creation of the first Sloss foundry and with it, the Metal Arts
program. For many years, a centerpiece of the program was the biennial
Southern Conference on Cast Iron Art. We are proud that the conference
now reaches such a wide national audience that in 2009 it was named, and
once again became the National Conference on Cast Iron Art.
LOCATION
Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham AL
Sloss
Furnaces is a 32-acre blast furnace plant where iron was made from 1882
to 1971 when the plant was closed due to obsolescence. Reopened in 1983
as a museum and national historic landmark, Sloss sponsors an active
arts program that focuses on cast and formed metal sculpture. The metal
arts program is rooted in Birmingham’s historic ties to the iron and steel industry. For its first hundred years, Birmingham
was a foundry town, the South’s foremost industrial center, and the
world’s largest producer of cast iron pipe. So no form of art is more
suited for creation in Birmingham than cast iron art. And nowhere in Birmingham is it more appropriate than Sloss, where for ninety years men made iron.
Lodging and Transportation
UAB Courtyard Marriott-UAB Campus
Room Rate: $139 + wifi and complementary breakfast
Holiday Inn Airport
Room Rate: $72 + wifi
Ask for the Cast Iron Conference Block
Hotel Highland-5 Points South
Room Rate: $111 + wifi and complementary breakfast
Ask for the Cast Iron Art Group Block **must reserve by 3/7/13 to get special rate**
Springhill Suites-Downtown
Room Rate: $109 + complementary breakfast and airport shuttle
**The Springhill Suites will offer shuttles to and from Sloss throughout the conference***
CAMPING AT SLOSS
$25 per person, not per tent
Camping
is permitted on the site, although the facilities are primitive—no
electrical hookups, no showers. Bathrooms on site do have wash basins. Also,
first-time campers should know that Sloss is bordered on all sides by
active railroads and a main railroad crossing, so it’s quite noisy.
Camping space is limited, so you must pre-register. NO PETS ALLOWED, EVEN IF THEY STAY IN THE TRUCK, CAR, VAN, etc.
PROGRAM
STUDENT CUPOLA/CUPOLETTE CONTEST
Interested in seeing how your design compares to that of your peers on a completely level pouring field? Enter
the student cupola/cupolette contest to see how you fare. Student
contestants will design, build and run a cupola or cupolette with a bore
(inside diameter with refractory) that is 10 inches.
For more information contact Noah Kirby at
kirbynoah@hotmail.com
Requirements:
1. Furnaces must be built by students.
2. Inside diameter must be 10 inches, nothing more, nothing less. Dimensions will be measured; furnaces that do not meet the guidelines will be disqualified.
3. Furnaces may be cupolas or cupolettes, intermittent or continuous
4. A team must have a faculty sponsor and at least three crew members. There is no maximum.
5. Teams are responsible for all supplies and equipment (including charging buckets or bags) except iron, coke, and propane, which will be provided by Sloss.
6. All electrical needs are limited to 110 outlets
IRON POURS
All
conferees are invited to bring a mold to be poured, regardless of
whether they participate in the actual pour. Iron pours will be held
each day, in the afternoon and/or evening, for molds made in the
conference workshops and for molds brought to the site. All conferees
must pay for their metal.
Call for Furnaces:
If you or your institution is interested in bringing a furnace to the
conference you must register with the Furnace Coordinator, Michael
Williams at
michael.williams@nicholls.edu or Remy Hanemann at
remy@slossfurnaces.com. Deadline for registration is February 1, 2013.
Those bringing furnaces must arrive at Sloss with completed molds to pour.
NO MOLDS. NO POUR. NO EXCEPTIONS! Groups must also bring all the
supplies and equipment they will need to run the furnace. Furnaces are
restricted to 110v electricity. No 220v will be available.
WORKSHOPS
For more information email Phillip Evans at
wphillipevans@gmail.com.
Parted Mold Workshop. Participants must arrive with a completed pattern. The fee includes a maximum
of 100 lbs iron and 300 lbs sand. Participants are restricted to one
mold, which should require no more than three parts. $165
Wax Meltout Workshop. Participants must arrive with a wax pattern no heavier than 10 lbs. The pattern must fit within a cubic foot. The fee includes a maximum of 100 lbs iron and 300 lbs sand. $175
Ceramic Shell Workshop. Participants must arrive with a completed wax pattern that weighs a maximum of 7 lbs. $165
Large Mold Workshop. To
participate in the large mold workshop, you must have experience in
making large molds and submit a project proposal. Iron weight may range
from 200 lbs to 600 lbs. Only one mold each 600 lbs. $165 + materials. Submit project proposals for large molds to Remy Hanemann
remy@slossfurnaces.com and Doug Barton
sippistyle@gmail.com.
Workshop Schedule
Large Mold (Monday- Friday, 10 am – 4 pm)
Ceramic Shell (Tuesday -Friday, 10 am – 4 pm)
Wax Meltout, Bonded Sand (Tuesday – Friday, 10 am – 4 pm)
Parted Molds, Bonded Sand (Wednesday – Friday, 10 am – 4 pm)
Panels
Since this conference is primarily for and focused on students working with cast iron as a sculptural medium student proposals are strongly encouraged, faculty proposals will also be entertained. Professional proposals with a focus on creative enterprise and entrepreneurship experience are encouraged.
Deadline for proposals: January 15, 2013
Contact Durant Thompson at
durant@olemiss.edu for more information.
Performances
Performance
Art incorporates the idea of iron, heat, and/or fire but does not
necessarily need to incorporate the process of melting iron.
Deadline for proposals: January 15, 2013
For more information contact Bri Kinard at
brikinard@gmail.com
Juried Exhibitions
Curated by Leila Hamdan
For more information, contact Leila Hamdan at
Leila.i.hamdan@gmail.com.
An Exhibition of Emerging Cast Iron Artists
This
is a juried exhibition for students registered for the conference.
Students may submit up to two pieces to be juried. Please complete the
Exhibition Registration form and send it, along with digital images to
Leila Hamdan, at
Leila.i.hamdan@gmail.com.
Pieces
must be delivered to Sloss no later than noon, Wednesday, April 10, and
picked up no later than noon on Saturday, April 13.
The National Cast Iron Art Exhibition
This
is a juried exhibition for professional artists registered for the
conference. Each participant may submit up to two pieces to be juried. Please complete the Exhibition Registration form and send it, along with digital images, to
Leila.i.hamdan@gmail.com.
REGISTRATION
National Conference on Cast Iron Art Registration
Register online
Or
Send checks, made out to Sloss Metal Arts, to:
Heather Guy
Sloss Furnaces
20 North 32nd Street
Birmingham AL 35222
Check one: ____ $ 85 Student: Before March 8 (include copy of Student I.D.)
____ $110 Student: After March 8
____ $160 Non-Student: Before March 8
____ $185 Non-Student: After March 8
NO REFUNDS after March 30.
Name______________________________________________________________________________
Address____________________________________________________________________________
City __________________________________ State ________________ Zip___________________
Phone (______)____________________ email___________________________________________
Affiliation ________________________________________________________
Workshop Registration:
Check one or more.
___ Bonded Sand Parted Molds ($165)
___ Bonded Sand Melt-out ($175)
___ Ceramic Shell ($165)
___ Large Mold Workshop ($165+ materials)
Iron Pours:
I plan to participate in a pour as a member of (affiliation) ________________________________
___ Yes. I plan to bring molds to be poured during the conference.
I have enclosed a check for _________ to cover
____ conference registration
____ workshop registration
____ camping ($25)
Student Cupola/Cupolette Contest Registration
Deadline for Registration: February 1, 2013
Please print or email the completed form, and a $60 Registration Fee to:
Noah Kirby
5819 S. Grand Blvd
St Louis, MO 63111
5819 S. Grand Blvd
St Louis, MO 63111
$60 Registration Fee payable to: SLOSS METAL ARTS
AFFILIATION, if applicable _________________ __________
FACULTY SPONSOR: ______________________________________________________________
TEAM MEMBERS
1.________________________________________________________________________________
2._________________________________________________________________________________
3._________________________________________________________________________________
4._________________________________________________________________________________
5.________________________________________________________________________________
6.________________________________________________________________________________
Information that describes your furnace and operation: ____________
