OUR HISTORY
Iron casting made its debut in the academic environment in the early 1960s, inaugurated by Julius Schmidt who was teaching at Cranbrook Academy of Arts in Detroit. He began searching local commercial foundries for technical support, and through cooperation with industry he learned how to build and operate a furnace suitable for the needs of a sculptor. The idea behind the conference was conceived by Professors Wayne Potratz, University of Minnesota; Thom Gipe, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville; Cliff Prokop, Keystone College, La Plume, Pennsylvania; Meredith (Butch) Jack, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas; and Jim Swartz, Southwest State University, Marshall, Minnesota at the University of Minnesota’s Annual Iron Pour, which has been running for over 40 years now. Since its founding, the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art has taken place every four years.
The first two International Conferences on Contemporary Cast Iron Art were held in 1988 (chaired by Wayne Potratz and Thom Gipe) and 1992 (chaired by David Hartman) at The Sloss Furnaces National Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama. The third and fourth conferences took place at Johnson Atelier, with exhibitions at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey, in 1998 (chaired by Ken Payne and Diane Cox) and 2002 (chaired by Mary Neubauer and Butch Jack). The fifth conference, Iron Bridging Art + Technology: Past, Present + Future, was held at the World Heritage site of Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale in 2006 (chaired by British sculptors Coral Lambert and Nick Lloyd.) The 6th conference, Meet Melt Make (chaired by Welsh sculptor Andy Griffiths and American sculptor Dan Hunt), was held in Wales at the historic Kidwelly Tinplate Museum in 2010. The 7th conference, Coal.Essence: Iron Forming Art, Ritual and Landscape, (chaired by Tamsie Ringler and Latvian sculptors Karlis Alainis and Ojars Feldbergs), was held at the OpenAir Art Museum at Pedvale, Latvia in 2014. The conference sites have influenced their themes, from the history and aesthetic possibilities of the medium to the creative practice of contemporary artists. The portability of a conference with a changing venue allows for diversity of audience, location, facility, and exhibition spaces.
WHO WE ARE
Culture
Creating an international platform for the exploration and practice of contemporary cast iron sculpture and to inspire global participation in the aesthetic, conceptual, cultural, historical, and technical dialogue on contemporary cast iron art.
The mission of the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art is to “create an international platform for the exploration and practice of contemporary cast iron sculpture and to inspire global participation in the aesthetic, conceptual, cultural, historical, and technical dialogue on contemporary cast iron art.” The possibilities for cultural exchange inherent in the conference’s siting within different international communities are extensive, productive, and relevant. The ICCCIA is an opportunity for international iron sculptors to work side by side, exchange aesthetic and technical ideas, share conceptual questions, and engage in a dialogue contemporary cast iron art.
Education
The International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art was founded as an academic conference exploring aesthetic and technical questions related to sculptural iron casting.
The conference’s educational aspects are many, from the panel presentations and talks to the mold-making workshops and practical demonstrations. The opportunity for delegate participation in the conference also creates a perfect teaching and learning environment, where sculptors at every level of experience can simultaneously teach and learn new information. Many of the conference organizers and participants are educators or students involved in the academic exploration of contemporary cast iron art. An equal number is also practicing artists and sculptors interested in aesthetic and conceptual explorations of iron. As a platform for international educational exchange, the ICCCIA is unprecedented in sculptural history. Artists, students, and educators from all over the world work shoulder to shoulder on molds, iron pours and sculpture projects, dialogue side by side on sculptural concepts and aesthetic explorations at panel discussions and presentations, and exhibit sculpture by sculpture in outdoor, experimental and open call exhibitions of art.
Technology
A critical aspect of the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art has always been exchanging information regarding new and developing technology. Developments in materials and processes, equipment, and technology, are ever shared through presentations, demonstrations, and workshops.
Industry representatives are invited to give practical demonstrations and encouraged to sponsor the conference. Recent developments in digital technology, including digital form and pattern making and digital mold making, have greatly expanded the contemporary foundry’s abilities and possibilities. Another area of interest has been adapting furnace designs to reduce their carbon footprint. These exchanges, between very ancient technologies and the most current explorations of process, create a vibrant dialogue for conference delegates and an opportunity to participate in cultural formation.
DIVERSITY EQUITY & INCLUSION
The International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art (ICCCIA) brings together international practitioners and learners to exchange, share and generate new ideas, explore practices and concepts intersecting around the medium of iron. We as practitioners gather to share this common element of Iron and respect for each other, welcoming those with like minds as well as respectful differences. We gather to celebrate this practice and each other with respect and gratitude. We strive to create a culture of inclusive practice to establish a foundation for each individual to belong.
(FE)edback Presentation from the 9th ICCCIA in Berlin, Germany, 2023:
