Spring Iron Pour: April 21

Buffalo State will host its 22nd annual Spring Iron Pour on Saturday, April 21. Everyone is invited to come and watch the pyrotechnics and participate by creating cast iron relief sculptures. The popular event begins at 9:00 a.m. and runs until 3:00 p.m. in Upton Hall 240 and in the courtyard off Lot T.

Blank sand blocks measuring 4 by 6 inches, available for purchase for $15, will be transformed into cast iron tiles. Slightly larger blocks can be purchased for $20-$30. Participants can carve what they wish into the blocks that will be poured into molten iron in one of the only grey iron foundries in the area.

Buffalo State students and faculty will be available to assist with the carvings, but participants should bring a sketch of what they plan to carve. The furnace will be lit at noon, and hot metal should begin flowing around 1:00 p.m. Those who just want to see the fun can come around noon. Once the sculptures cool, people can take them home with them.

The iron pour carries on Buffalo’s rich tradition of casting grey iron sculpture like companies such as Bethlehem Steel once did, and the event serves as a precursor to the Nor’eastern Cast Iron Conference the college is hosting in November. This conference attracts artists from across the country and will feature Beverly Pepper, one of the icons of contemporary sculpture who has a long history with Buffalo and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, along with renowned artists Jene Highstein and Jay Wholley.

All proceeds from the spring iron pour will help support the November conference and student scholarships. For more information, go to http://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/noreaster/.