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• Metal Memento: Cast Your Favorite Object

  • Start
    Sat, August 09, 2025
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  • End
    Sat, September 13, 2025
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  • Schedule
    5 sessions
  • Location
    3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
  • Spaces left
    6

  Register

  Have you ever wished you could transform something into metal forever? In this class we will go over the basics of molding an object or pattern and casting it in molten metal (aluminum or bronze). You'll learn the basics of making a two-piece mold of a found or created pattern you provide. The class will cover appropriate choices for objects/patterns, self-setting sand molding techniques, venting and spruing of molds, metal heating and pouring, and basic finishing of cast pieces.

  Special opportunity! If you have time after creating your two-piece mold in this class, you're also invited to create a scratch tile (direct carve) mold to have cast during our Minneapolis Molten Metal Cast Iron Invitational on September 20. (An extra materials fee will apply - your instructor will have details.)  
  

  $240 ($195 tuition + $45 materials)  |  5 weeks

  Instructor: Woody Stauffer

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• MMM Iron: Community Scratch Tile Workshop

  • When
    Sun, September 14, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
  • Spaces left
    0

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  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.

  Then, you’re invited to join us on September 20 for a fun and fiery community event! Watch as a team of artists and students pour 2200° molten iron to cast the mold you carved in the workshop.

  A few notes:

  • If your tile requires any finishing after it’s poured, we’ll take care of that and have it ready for you to pick up in early October. If you’re satisfied with it as is, you can take it with you after the pour.
  • Because of the sometimes unpredictable nature of the casting process, variations in your finished piece may occur.
  • If we have to cancel the pour on September 20, we’ll pour your tile in aluminum at a later date.

  Open to ages 16 and up, or younger people if accompanied by a participating adult

  Cost: Free! (one tile per person)
  Spots are limited, so if your plans change, please let us know so we can give your spot to someone else.

  Instructor: Jess Night

  

  
  

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

  
  

  
  

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• Cast Iron Workshop: Sand Mold Studio & Iron Pour

  • Start
    Wed, September 17, 2025
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  • End
    Sun, September 21, 2025
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  • Schedule
    5 sessions
  • Location
    3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
  • Spaces left
    10

  Register

  Join us at CAFAC for the first-ever Minneapolis Molten Metal Iron Invitational!

  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.

  At the end of the workshop experience, you’ll have a complete one-of-a-kind iron casting of your own design. If you have casting experience, we recommend bringing your own completed pattern ready to be molded. However, if you’re a beginner or don’t have a pattern ready, you’ll be able to create simple patterns on the first day from materials like plasticine, found objects, or through reductive carving. For those new to casting, basic forms such as bowls, tiles, or belt buckles are available and can be customized.

  Open studio hours:

  • Wednesday, September 17, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Orientation, pattern review, iron breaking, intro to gating and flasks, sand mixing, start ramming molds

  • Thursday, September 18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Multi-part mold demos, work time, iron breaking

  • Friday, September 19, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Gating and venting, intro to gluing/banding/weighting molds, work time, iron breaking

  • Saturday, September 20, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Pour floor setup, pour team assignments, dry run, burn in, first tap at 3 p.m.!

  • Sunday, September 21, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
    Break open molds, clean up, pack up 

  You’ll have access to the studio from Wednesday to Friday, allowing ample supported work time. For many participants, this is more than enough time to complete your molds, so you may also use this time flexibly to accommodate other commitments. Please plan to be onsite for the duration of the iron pour on Saturday and for at least 2 hours on Sunday for breaking out molds and cleanup.

  Find more details about facilities, schedule, what to bring, and more.

  Workshop fee: $350 ($250 tuition + $100 materials)
  *Additional iron and resin-bonded sand available at a per-pound rate.

  Instructors: Brighton McCormick & Pete Gierzynski

  

  
  

  This Cultural Districts Art Fund program activity is funded, in part, by the Arts & Cultural Affairs Department in the City of Minneapolis

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• Small Things Casting: Organic Objects

  • Start
    Wed, October 01, 2025
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  • End
    Wed, October 29, 2025
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  • Schedule
    5 sessions
  • Location
    3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
  • Spaces left
    8

  Register

  Have you always wanted to turn a pinecone or similar natural object into metal? In this fun and informative class you'll learn how to do just that!. The process starts with selecting a natural object, molding the object, and then heating the mold until the object is “burned out.” This leaves a hollow vessel into which you'll pour molten bronze or sterling silver, recreating your chosen object in metal! We'll cover safety protocols, the tools and techniques for molding and pouring using the vacuum casting method, along with basic finishing and patination of our cast artwork.

  This course is appropriate for both beginners and those with some jewelry or casting experience.

  $240 ($195 tuition + $45 materials)  |  5 sessions
  Open to ages 16 and up (parent/guardian should be on call for students under 18. 

  Instructor: Jess Night 

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• Metal Casting with Recyclable Clay Molds

  • Start
    Mon, October 13, 2025
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  • End
    Mon, November 17, 2025
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  • Schedule
    6 sessions
  • Location
    3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
  • Spaces left
    7

  Register

  In this course we will explore making small cast bronze sculptures using ancient methods. You'll mold small wax patterns with clay and other natural materials following Indian, African, Meso-American, and Japanese techniques. The molds will then be fired with charcoal and cast in bronze or aluminum. You can expect to make two to three works and develop skills, including wax working, clay molding, and melting metals, which will enable you to make small sculpture with low-cost recyclable materials. Alternative melting methods (primitive furnaces fired with charcoal) may be explored based on student interest. Attendance at the first class session is mandatory, as important safety information is presented. 

  $330 ($270 tuition + $60 materials)  |  6 weeks
  Open to ages 18 and up.

  Instructor: Wayne Potratz

  
  

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• Memento Mori with Sand Casting

  • Start
    Sat, November 01, 2025
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  • End
    Sun, November 02, 2025
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  • Schedule
    2 sessions
  • Location
    3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
  • Spaces left
    6

  Register

  Siblings scottie and Brienna Hall have combined their individual passions and art forms into this unique ritual Sand Casting experience. 

  It is said that in Autumn the veil between life and death is thinnest. In this weekend workshop we will explore the ancient art of sand casting to create a unique piece of jewelry or small talisman memorializing a loved one, pet, memory, or place. Through metalworking, fire, and guided ritual, you will cast a personal keepsake imbued with presence, memory, and intention.

  You're invited to bring a cherished object, cremains of a loved one, symbolic material, or a personal offering to incorporate into your piece. Together we will mark this sacred time of year through co-creating an altar honoring the cycle of life and death and learning to sand cast sterling silver in red clay.

  This workshop is open to all levels of experience. The only prerequisite is a willingness to reflect on the impermanence of life through ritual, storytelling, memories, and art making.

  $460 ($400 tuition + $60 materials)  |  Weekend workshop
  Open to ages 18 and up. 

  scottie hall (ze|zir) is a Minneapolis-based artist, hospice chaplain, and childless cat queer. Ze invites hospice patients and their loved ones to meet death with curiosity through ritual, self-discovery, and radical acceptance of the natural dying process. A longtime practicing Buddhist, scottie holds a MDiv from United Theological Seminary of Twin Cities where their studies included Interreligious Chaplaincy and Theopoetics.

  Brienna Hall is a jewelry artist and educator based in Mendocino, California, with a BFA in Sculpture and a minor in Fiber Arts from the Kansas City Art Institute. Through her practice, Shrine Jewelry, she explores themes of memory, impermanence, and transformation using sand casting, fabrication and recycled precious metals. Brienna teaches regularly in California and loves the joy and spontaneity that sand casting brings—she’s passionate about sharing that excitement through teaching and helping others create meaningful, personal work.

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• Sculptural Metal Casting Fundamentals: Lost Wax in Ceramic Shell

  • Start
    Wed, November 05, 2025
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  • End
    Wed, December 17, 2025
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  • Schedule
    6 sessions
  • Location
    3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
  • Spaces left
    8

  Register

  Metal casting is an art form steeped in ancient tradition yet popular with contemporary artists today. In this class you'll learn the basics of ceramic shell molding and how to transform molten bronze into cast metal sculpture. We'll start by exploring appropriate pattern materials, ranging from wax to found organic materials. Then we'll cover wax working basics, spruing and venting of molds, molding with ceramic shell, casting safety and procedures, and basic finishing and patina. By the end of class, you'll have a basic understanding of bronze casting safety and techniques, as well as fundamental skills in ceramic shell molding and finishing. We will do one pour during the class, and you can expect to complete at least one small/medium-scale bronze casting.

  Note: There is a gap week in our class schedule to allow for you to finish the ceramic shell dipping/molding process. You should plan to have the ability to come into the studio at least seven times within the 2 weeks between classes to dip your patterns. Studio hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. most days. Please inquire if you have questions about this requirement.

  This course is appropriate for both beginners and those with some casting experience. 

  $285 ($235 tuition + $50 materials)  |  6 weeks
  Open to ages 16 and up (parent/guardian should be on call for students under 18). 

  Instructor: Jess Bergman Night

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• Torch + Pour + Solder: Mixed Materials Sculpture

  • Start
    Mon, November 17, 2025
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  • End
    Mon, December 01, 2025
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  • Schedule
    3 sessions
  • Location
    3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
  • Spaces left
    4

  Register

  Create a sculptural piece using three fire arts in this combo class! You'll learn the basics of flameworking with borosilicate glass, cuttlebone casting with lead-free pewter, and soft soldering techniques, as well as how to combine all three into one piece. We'll start with boro flameworking, making components to soft solder together into a sculpture. The next session will cover pewter casting, creating additional components. Finally, you'll learn how to use soft soldering techniques to combine your glass and pewter elements into a sculpture.

  This is a semi-intermediate class where ambitious beginners are welcome but the pace will be fast. If you have prior experience with at least one of the mediums, you'll be more comfortable keeping up.

  $150 ($115 tuition + $35 materials)
  Open to ages 16 and up.

  Instructor: Samael Leopold-Sullivan 

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• Creative Metal Casting: Mold-Making Fundamentals

  • Start
    Mon, November 24, 2025
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  • End
    Mon, December 15, 2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    4 sessions
  • Location
    3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
  • Spaces left
    8

  Register

  Dive into the captivating world of molten metal and unlock the secrets of cast metal sculpture in this immersive course! Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or a curious beginner, join us on a journey through the essentials of mold-making, pouring molten metal, and a variety of finishing techniques.

  This project-driven class includes two endeavors to be poured in your choice of bronze or aluminium:

  • A one part, open face mold made through sculpting a clay pattern. These sculptures are perfect for mounting and can be finished with a variety of colored inks. Learn the basics of crafting custom hardware to elegantly display your work.
  • 2-part sand molds using reductive carving to directly sculpt the void in which to pour metal. These are smaller scale work that get your brain thinking backwards!

  You'll emerge from this class with a newfound passion for casting, valuable skills and knowledge of multiple casting processes, along with two totally unique artworks.

  $200 ($155 tuition + $45 materials)  |  4 sessions 

  Open to ages 16 and up.

  Instructor: Brighton McCormick

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