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• MMM Iron Invitational: Sand Mold Studio & Iron Pour

  • Start
    Wed, April 01, 2026
  •  
  • End
    Sun, April 05, 2026
  •  
  • Schedule
    5 sessions
  • Location
    3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
  • Spaces left
    16

  Register

  Join us at CAFAC for the second annual Minneapolis Molten Metal Iron Invitational!

  This four-day immersive workshop will culminate in community iron pour on Saturday, April 4. 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 100 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, April 1, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Orientation, pattern review, iron breaking, intro to gating and flasks, sand mixing, start ramming molds

  • Thursday, April 2, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Multi-part mold demos, work time, iron breaking

  • Friday, April 3, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Gating and venting, intro to gluing/banding/weighting molds, work time, iron breaking

  • Saturday, April 4, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
    Pour floor setup, pour team assignments, dry run, burn in, first tap at 3 p.m.!

  • Sunday, April 5, 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: $395 ($295 tuition + $100 materials)
  *Additional iron and resin-bonded sand available at per pound-rate

  Instructors: Brighton McCormick & Pete Gierzynski

   

  This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

  
  

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• Advanced Silversmithing: Inspired by the Garden with Nicole Ringgold

  • Start
    Fri, May 22, 2026
  •  
  • End
    Tue, May 26, 2026
  •  
  • Schedule
    5 sessions
  • Location
    3749 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN
  • Spaces left
    0

  Join waitlist

  We're thrilled to welcome Nicole Ringgold to the CAFAC jewelry studio for a 5-day intensive workshop!

    
  

  This workshop is for intermediate to advanced silversmiths. We will convene for eight hours each day which includes a one-hour break for lunch.

  Throughout the workshop, you'll focus on torch control, sawing, forming, fusing, soldering, and so much more to fabricate a variety of garden-inspired pieces. Demonstrations will include the creation of leaves, a beet or radish, a flower, an insect, and other projects inspired by our creativity throughout the week. You'll create several pieces over the course of the workshop, and emerge with an understanding of what is involved in working full-time as a silversmith.

  $900 plus $240 materials* |  5-day intensive  |  Open to ages 18 and up
  Note: this workshop is not eligible for scholarship awards.

  *You may choose to provide your own materials. When you register, you'll choose whether or not you would like us to provide your materials. Sorry, materials are all-or-nothing (we provide all, or you provide all).

  Materials List

  • 1 3x3" sheet of 22 gauge sterling silver
  • 1 3x3" sheet of 24 gauge sterling silver
  • 1 5 ft 16 gauge sterling silver wire
  • 1 5 ft wire of 18 gauge sterling silver
  • 1 3 ft wire of 20 gauge sterling silver
  • Silver solder

  You are welcome to bring additional materials!
  

  All tools, equipment, and general shop consumables are provided.

    
  

  Instructor: Nicole Ringgold's work is inspired by everything she encounters in her natural surroundings -- a plant, an insect, a bird's nest, natural river rocks, a sound, a glimpse, a smell. She lives in Winthrop, Washington, situated in the North Cascade mountains. Nicole is an outdoor enthusiast, gardener, wife and mother, farmer, and world wanderer. Throughout the year she teaches master silversmithing workshops in her studio and around the globe.

  Nicole says, "My wearable art is hand fabricated. Many people assume that it is cast, dipped or electroformed. I start with silver sheets and wire, saw, solder, file, texture, form, oxidize and polish every piece. My intention is not to replicate the inspiration, but to recreate it with precious metal with as much detail as possible. My goal with every piece is to make the metal appear alive."

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