The Little Pour on the Prairie: Art students participate in iron pour

Timing is everything. Shortly after being accepted into the Master of Fine Arts graduate program at the University of South Dakota, I had the opportunity to participate in a grant project overseen by Jordan Eaton, a Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate.

Eaton wrote and received the grant in 2012 and has spent the past few years attending workshops and conferences, making contact with other iron workers in the region and building a cupola — the type of furnace used to melt iron into a fluid pourable state — as part of his research.

In the weeks leading up to the iron pour, USD students, past art students and new students, like me, made sand molds of our artworks to be cast and gathered the raw materials, which is mostly cast iron radiators and scrap iron that will then be broken down into three or four-inch pieces.

This was not an easy task. It took several hours and many strong arms to break down 1,300 pounds of iron. This was only the beginning of the heavy, labor-intensive process.

We moved the furnace, the protective gear, the tools, equipment, the iron and the coke — the fuel for the furnace — to the location of the pour.

Associate Sculpture Professor Chris Meyer hosted this event at his rural Vermillion home studio.

His acreage was a perfect spot for the weekend gathering. We had plenty of space for all the equipment needed for iron casting and plenty of space to camp.

Some fed fuel to the furnace to heat the iron, some caught the molten iron into a 75-pound ladle as it is released from the tap hole, which functions as a spout, and then carried the ladle  — which was filled with 90 pounds of hot iron — from mold to mold.

There were no minor positions. Some of us were equipped with shovels to protect those who were pouring the iron into the molds from the hot metal sparks and small fires that might have occurred around the feet.

The process was exciting, intense and very hot, and one that lasted for more than an hour. Because of the teamwork needed for the casting of iron process, a sense of community was quickly established.

All involved had a common goal: to keep everyone safe, to create beautiful artwork, make connections, learn new ways of working, to collaborate and to celebrate.

Working artists will travel to various iron pours to assist, teach and share their experiences, knowledge and individual styles of working.

Kelly Ludeking, who will be at USD in October as part of the Fine Arts department visiting artist program, from Dacora, Iowa, and Larry Hubert and his iron crew from Lamberton, Minn., were a great part of the “maiden voyage” of the cupola that was a result of Eaton and his fellow sculpture students’ research and hard work.

They came with contagious spirit and endless knowledge and experience. I gained a lot from this happening; I stepped into a new process of art and material and look forward to making more cast iron sculptures during my time as an MFA student at USD.

(Photo courtesy of Aaron Packard)

[notification type=”grey” title=”Upcoming art events”]Join us Sept. 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. for a gallery talk and reception at Bede Art Gallery, 1105 West 8th Street, Yankton, SD, at Mount Marty College for the artworks from the first annual “Little Pour on the Prairie.” This exhibition includes works from Associate Sculpture Professor Chris Meyer, current and past USD fine arts students, and regional professional artists. The exhibition is open daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., now through Sept. 27.[/notification]