MMM, Iron!

The 2025 Minneapolis Molten Metal Cast Iron Invitational

This September, the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center is proud to host the first ever Minneapolis Molten Metal Cast Iron Invitational, a five‑day, neighborhood‑scaled iron‑casting festival that transforms CAFAC into an open, collaborative foundry. By pairing hands-on workshops with a public iron pour, the Minneapolis Molten Metal demystifies an art form that is usually hidden behind industrial walls and invites residents, artists, and visitors to co‑create awe‑inspiring artworks with molten metal.

Starting in August, we’re hosting a series of iron workshops and events, including one-day scratch tile workshops and — the main event — a four-day intensive sand mold studio culminating in a community iron pour on September 20th!

This iron pour is an annual event open to the whole community, turning a once‑exclusive craft into a vibrant neighborhood ritual one that melts metal and the boundaries between artist, neighbor, and visitor.

Questions on the event, including accessibility considerations? Email us at info@cafac.org.

Cast Iron Workshops and Classes

As part of the invitational, we’re offering a series of iron classes to beginner and experienced cast metal artists! These range from half-day experiences to multi-day intensives.

Community Scratch Tile Workshops

In this workshop, you’ll create a sand mold of your own design to be cast in iron at the Minneapolis Molten Metal Cast Iron Invitational on September 20. In this three-hour session, we’ll discuss the basics of the iron casting process and guide you through the process of reductive carving to create the mold for your tile. The workshop will ignite your interest in one of the myriad methods of metal casting and the magic of molten metal! No prior experience required.

Cost: Free! Each participant gets one tile.

Three dates offered:

Cast Iron Workshop: Sand Mold Studio & Iron Pour

This four-day immersive workshop will culminate in community iron pour on September 20. Open to artists and students of all skill levels, this sand mold workshop offers hands-on experience in casting molten iron using traditional foundry techniques. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced caster, you'll learn new skills, connect with fellow makers, and create a custom iron casting.

The Sand Mold Studio & Iron Pour experience includes:

  • Guidance by instructors through the process of mold making, including establishing parting lines and ramming multi-part molds using resin-bonded sand.

  • Presentations on metal casting techniques and hands-on demonstrations of the entire casting process.

  • 30 pounds of iron and 200 pounds of resin-bonded sand.* You’ll have the opportunity to create one to three molds, depending on experience and time constraints.

  • Working alongside an experienced casting crew to learn furnace operations and pouring molten metal.

Cost: $350 ($250 tuition + $100 materials)

*Additional iron and resin-bonded sand available at a per-pound rate.

From 10am-6pm on September 17, 18, 19, and 20; from 11am-2pm on September 21.

 

Meet the team

 

Pete Gierzynski (he/him)

Pete Gierzynski is a local artist and blacksmith with a passion for DIY ethics and sharing knowledge to empower community. Pete runs his own metalworking business in south Minneapolis, where he crafts custom commissions.

Brighton McCormick (they/them)

Brighton McCormick is a sculptor, educator and art fabricator living and working in South Minneapolis. Their interdisciplinary practice focuses on sculpture and gallery installation, community engaged projects, and public art.

Jess Bergman Night (she/her)

Jess Bergman Night has been exploring art her entire life and was introduced to her first fire art form, cast metal, as a teenager. She has been teaching and creating with the cast metal professionally for the past decade.

Woody Stauffer (he/him)

Woody Stauffer has been discovering and implementing methods of mold-making techniques primarily for the casting of metal and concrete for the past 10 plus years.

 
 
 

This Cultural Districts Arts Fund activation is funded, in part, by the City of Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs Department.