HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) — The cast iron furnaces at the University of Southern Mississippi are heating up for the “Annual Iron Pour.”

Hosted by the USM School of Performing and Visual Arts, this interactive event will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, in the 3D Arts building on the Hattiesburg campus.

Participants will be able to carve their own designs and create a personal cast-iron piece to take home.

Before the Iron Pour, widely celebrated visiting artist Hugh Patton will deliver a lecture on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m. His presentation will offer audiences a glimpse into the thrilling world of metal sculpting.

Patton is firmly established in the cast-iron art community as the Artist-in-Residence at Sloss Metal Arts in Birmingham. He works within themes of labor, process and the intersection between industry and nature.

When describing the process of creating his works, Patton said, “I need to spend time with a place, get to know it, study it, work within it, soak it in, revere it. Let it fill me up and then filter its contents through my own.”

Admission is free for both events and open to the public.

This year’s event marks Jennifer Torres’s 21st consecutive pour. A sculpture professor and event organizer, she said she always looks forward to making art accessible to the Hattiesburg community and beyond.

“Always a big hit, many folks from around Hattiesburg, local schools, and students from other states come to make art, hear lectures, and work with visiting artists like Hugh Patton,” said Torres.

Scratch blocks will be available for purchase at 10 a.m.; the molten metal will be ready to transform the art into masterpieces around noon. The cost is $15.

Don’t miss these unique experiences, which merge art and community to create personal and lasting memories.

The events are made possible thanks to the generous support of Partners for the Arts.

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