Cold Day to Pour Hot Metal at the Indy Art Center

Take a look at the photo here. What type of people do you see? Factory workers? Auto workers hardened from years working in the foundry? Maybe workers from the railroad, experienced with sledge hammers and pick axes? Think again. They're artists. Yep - art students at the Indianapolis Art Center learning the centuries old process of heating metal to a fluid state until it's ready to pour in pre-made forms. I don't pretend to know every step of the process but these students have been working on their creations for weeks, designing and developing - using sand and epoxy mix to create the mold in which this heated bronze is poured.

These students are learning this process strictly from an art standpoint. I can't help but think of an automobile factory, creating cast-iron engine blocks using this same basic process (using iron of course). Where does this process come from? The Bronze Age? Fascinating learning experience. Once the metal is heated to about 2200 degrees Fahrenheit using this furnace, the container (there is a special name for this container - I forget) is lifted out and the metal is carefully poured into the molds. I have a bunch of photographs at this link, here are just a few: