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METRO | STATE
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2010
Old metal becomes art at OU iron pour BY JAMES S. TYREE Staff Writer jtyree@opubco.com
NORMAN — University of Oklahoma art students and faculty transformed the cast iron from three antique bathtubs and a sink into artistic molded sculptures. They did so Friday outside OU’s North Base art studio, during the School of Art and Art History’s fall iron pour. Students spent part of the day smashing the iron into bits and melting them in a furnace that can reach 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. But that may not have been the most difficult task. “It is truly hard to find cast iron nowadays,” OU graduate student Mark Zimmerman said. “We were literally going on a hunt for it.” Jonathan Hils, an OU associate professor of sculpture, led the group as he does twice a year in melting and pouring iron into sculptured scratch molds. There were about 40 molds this time, each with its own design. The iron cools in the mold and takes the shape of its design. People from the community pre-ordered a mold from the school and some were there to watch the process. Alex Knox, a graduate student from Greenville, N.C., said the iron pour brings an archaic process into the contemporary world while building teamwork. She said despite the hard work involved, the energy from people working together “is great.” Graduate student Garrett Stowe, who completed his bachelor’s degree at
Alexandra Knox shovels iron at the University of Oklahoma School of Art and Art History iron pour. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN
East Carolina University as Knox did, said the iron pour presents a golden opportunity for students. “If you want to use this material, you have one chance to do it in a semester,” he said. The iron pour was the first half of the School of Art and Art History’s Fuego Friday. A wearable art costume party and contest took place that evening at the Fred Jones Art Center.
Carl Billingsley and Mike Hill stoke the fire.
THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM