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Art Casting Conference Answers Needs of Future Art Casters |
With a tour of SkySong, Scottsdale, Ariz., a mixed-use business and innovation project, the attendees of the AFS Art Casting Conference said farewell to the Southwest desert and the conference, which brought art casters, sculptors, sculpture students and AFS together for the first time in more than 19 years.
The concept was simple: reach out to the art casting community and show them the value of AFS, listen and determine what other needs they might have and ultimately be a catalyst to bringing together the various aspects of the metalcasting industry interested in art.
“The last time the society ran a specific art casting event was in August 1990,” said Leo Baran, director of membership services for AFS and the 2009 conference coordinator. “We were definitely overdue in addressing the specific needs of this niche segment of the industry.”
- Held Nov. 12-13 at Arizona State University’s (ASU) Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, the event included:
Bill Powell, retired from ThyssenKrupp Waupaca and the 2007 president of the Foundry Education Foundation, offering his unique perspective on how to form a relationship between artists and metalcasters;
- Laura West of Fresno City College, taking the audience in a more futuristic direction by looking at the current use of digital technology in contemporary sculpture, as well as where it might be heading;
- Michael Buyarski, Federal Metal Company guiding a copper-base melting and pouring demonstration, with assistance from volunteer ASU students;
- Dan Collins, co-director of the Partnership for Spatial Modeling (PRISM) at ASU, addressing “Computers and Sculpture” in a panel discussion.
Tom Bollinger, the managing owner of Arizona Bronze, along with his staff, graciously hosted a reception at their new digital studio facilities in Tempe, allowing for continued networking and camaraderie among the conference attendees.
Financial assistance was provided by the Desert Chapter of AFS, allowing complimentary registration for several ASU art students.
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