Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark

Since initiating the Metal Arts in 1985, Sloss has offered workshops, exhibitions, and conferences on all aspects of metal sculpture. Sloss hosted the First and Second International Conference on Cast Iron Art in 1988 and 1994, and organized regional conferences 1997, 1999, and 2003. The Metal Arts currently includes workshops, open studios, and residencies for mature and emerging artists. For younger artists there is a summer apprenticeship program for talented high school students and a variety of school education programs that involve casting iron. Outreach programs take a furnace and crew of artists to schools and community festivals all over the state, where artists provide iron-casting activities for children and adults. Each year Metal Arts programs serve hundreds of artists from all parts of the country and thousands of Alabama citizens.

The Artists

Facilities & Equipment

Metal Arts Guild

Programs

Summer Youth Apprenticeship

Class Schedules

Open Studios

There are only a handful of places in the country where artists outside academia can go to cast their own work. Few artists have their own bronze foundries, and, because casting iron is so labor intensive, even fewer have iron foundries. Commercial art foundries abound but they are often too expensive. The Open Studios give professional artists access to a fully equipped foundry and fabrication shop and the technical assistance they need to make sculpture on a scale they otherwise could not achieve or afford. There are also Open Studios for those advanced students and artists who forge or fabricate their work. The Open Studios are held one weekend per month, from March to December.

Foundry Workdays:
With approval, advanced students and professional artists may also schedule additional foundry and studio access for self-guided projects. The fee covers the use of tools, equipment, and electricity, but does not include consumable materials such as sand, metal, chemicals, ceramic shell, cutting and grinding discs, oxygen, propane, etc. These items are tracked as used and charged at the end of the stay.

Workshops and Classes

Workshops and classes provide art-making opportunities for beginners as well as experienced artists and address all aspects of creating metal sculpture--patternmaking, moldmaking, casting and finishing. A crew of talented artists teaches technical processes in a hands-on format that gives beginners a working knowledge of metalworking materials and equipment. As they learn the complex series of steps in the process of casting iron or bronze, or forging or fabricating steel, students are encouraged to use their new skills to explore their creative limits. Advanced students and professional artists partake of a growing base of knowledge about the medium of cast iron and pursue in-depth experimentation within each class.

Student Workdays:
Students may schedule additional work time in the studios and foundry. New students must be currently enrolled in a workshop that offers the additional work time. Former students may purchase time for self-guided work in the area in which they have taken a class.

Registration: Registration is open to the public on a first-come, first- served basis. Persons 16 and over may register for all workshops. NOTE: Participants should pre-register no later than Tuesday prior to the beginning of the workshop. Sloss may cancel a workshop if fewer than five participants are registered.

Participants may register by calling 205/324-1911 weekdays between 8 am and 4 pm, or by emailing paige@slossfurnaces.com. A $25 non-refundable deposit is required to complete registration.
Refund Policy: Sloss has the right to cancel a workshop for any reason, although we rarely do so. When we do cancel, it is usually due to low enrollment. Should your workshop be cancelled, we will refund all of your fees, including the deposit. You may choose to transfer to another class provided space is available. Any difference in tuition will be reconciled.

Returned Checks: There is a $35.00 charge for returned checks.

Please make all check payable to the Sloss Metal Arts

Artist Residency

The Residency: This residency, which serves emerging and mid-career artists whose primary medium is cast iron, is intended to provide artists with the opportunity to create new work in a stimulating environment. Resident artists work 20 hours per week with Sloss staff artists in producing Metal Arts programs and in return receive housing, a monthly stipend, and 24 hour-a-day access to the sculpture facilities for creation of their own work. Each resident leaves one completed piece for the Sloss collection. A residency may vary from a few weeks to three months. Only a limited number of stipends are awarded each year. The application deadline for funded residencies is December 15

Non-funded Residencies: Non-funded residencies vary from a few days to a month and are available year-round. These residencies provide access to the facilities but at a rate of $37/day; $250/week; or $750/month. Applications are accepted year round.

Residency Expenses: Expenses for the artist’s project are paid by the artist. These expenses include materials, specialized tools, fees for outside services and for an artist assistant should one be needed. Sloss provides living accommodations for funded artists only. However, we try to help residents find short-term rentals in the city.

Applications: All applicants must submit the following:
• A cover letter with a one-page description of the project you wish to undertake during the residency and the extent of your experience in the materials and processes you wish to use
• resume
• 10-20 slides of work completed in the last two years, accompanied by a description sheet
• two letters of recommendation

It is important that the proposed project be within the scope of the facility and the limitations of the program. Be very specific about equipment needs and the duration of the proposed project. Application materials will be returned if a self-addressed, stamped envelope is provided.

Mail to: Metal Arts Sloss Furnaces Twenty 32nd Street North Birmingham, AL 35222

Outreach

Schools: Sloss artists and crew travel to schools throughout Alabama, offering a range of educational programs. Some are simple one-day workshops; others are six-week residencies during which artists work with students to produce individual sculptures or a large-scale piece for the school grounds.

Community: Outreach programs take a small furnace on the road for demonstrations and workshops around the state, at schools, museums, and community festivals.

Commissions: Sloss also does extensive commission work, ranging from small commemorative pieces, to original sculpture, to large-scale outdoor projects. Some recent commissions include work for the Gadsden (AL) Cultural Arts Center, the Alabama Humanities Foundation, Birmingham’s Sidewalk Film Festival, and the City of Birmingham. The trailhead maker pictured at left was commissioned by the Heritage Hall Museum in Talledega AL. The cast iron arch and the panels on the column were designed and built by Art Director Vaughn Randall. The arch is 11-ft wide, 3-ft deep and 5-ft high and sits on 6-ft stone pillars.

Contact the Metal Arts Department for further information or to schedule an event.

Paige Wainwright, Metal Arts Curator

E-mail: paige@slossfurnaces.com

Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark
Twenty 32nd Street North
Birmingham, AL 35222

Phone: (205) 324-1911
Facsimile: (205) 324-6758