December 12, 2016
Artwork created by students during the Mesalands Community College’s Annual Iron Pour, will be on display next month in the Harwood Art Center in Albuquerque, NM. This Hot Iron Art Show will be the first exhibition of the new year at the Harwood and will introduce Albuquerque to a broad sample of cast iron artwork. The exhibition will commence with an opening reception on Friday, January 6, 2017 from 6:00-8:00 pm and will continue through Thursday, January 26, 2017. There is no charge to attend.
“This is exciting because it gives us an opportunity to showcase the Foundry and the Fine Arts Program at Mesalands Community College,” said D’Jean Jawrunner, Fine Arts Faculty at Mesalands. “Our Annual Iron Pour brings artists of all skill-levels together for an intense one-week workshop. We have university professors, graduate students, professional artists, and beginners, who participate each year. It’s an environment of creativity and mutual support.”
The Annual Iron Pour at Mesalands Community College has been drawing artists from all over the U.S. since 1999. Artists have the opportunity to create sculptures and translate them into cast iron sculptures, that consist of a range of artistic expressions. The Harwood describes an iron pour as exciting, and the final firing, melting, and pour of liquid iron is intense, demanding, and dramatic. Mesalands will be hosting their 19th Annual Iron Pour on March 5-11, 2017.
Jawrunner mentioned that many artists from Santa Fe and Albuquerque participate in the Annual Iron Pour at Mesalands and have been coming for many years. Candy Nartonis from Albuquerque, is the curator of the “Hot Iron” Art Show and a former Iron Pour student at Mesalands. She has had a major role in organizing this exhibition in Albuquerque.
“My goal as a curator is to bring the excitement of the Mesalands Iron Pour in Tucumcari to the attention of the Albuquerque community. I have been attending the Iron Pour for four years,” Nartonis said. “The generous spirit, the quality and variety of the work, and the teamwork is amazing.”
Jawrunner, Nartonis, and Joel Kiser, Fine Arts Faculty Member at Mesalands, will have some of their cast iron artwork on display at the exhibition. Other participating artists include: Dana Chodzko, Chris Collins, John Robert Craft, Nathan Eyring, Elizabeth Fritzsche, Topaz Jones, Sarah Madigan, Kenneth Peshlakai, George Salas, Robin Speas, and Eleanor Trabaudo.
Jawrunner also wanted to thank the following Tucumcari sponsors for their support of the “Hot Iron” Art Show: Buena Vista Optical Lab, Greater Tucumcari Economic Development Corporation, Mesalands Community College, and the Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory.
The Harwood Art Center is located at 1114 7th Street NW in Albuquerque, NM. For more information, visit: www.harwoodartcenter.org, or call (505) 242-6367.
