Featuring the Sloss Crew.

The legacy of iron casting is long, built upon thousands of years of experience, innovation, and experimentation. The discoveries and successes of one generation were the building blocks for the advancement of the next. After the end of the civil war, Alabama was primed for industry, men were eager to work and the ground was rich in resources. The iron and steel industry provided jobs, swift economic development, and gave rise to the city of Birmingham. Sloss Furnaces opened in 1882 and continued to mechanize as the industry developed, eliminating antiquated machinery and methods. For example, the physically demanding floor casting method, where men used the ground to cast iron ingots, was replaced by the pig casting machine. While the pig casting machine was an improvement on the floor casting method, making production more profitable, it excluded the human aspect of the practice.

The changes eliminated jobs, neglecting the people who once depended on the work. With many developments, there are shortfalls, blind spots, and biases toward profit rather than people. From its inception, iron making required a multitude of people to ensure proper furnace operation. Initially, Sloss furnaces employed 147 people to operate their two furnaces 24/7. Today, the goal is to build on the principle of innovation while preserving the human element, acknowledging the importance of creating community, which is vital to the iron-making process.

As the Birmingham steel and iron industry continued to fall more and more into obsolescence, with Sloss eventually closing its doors as a functioning blast furnace in 1971, artists saw the opportunity to inhabit the space left by the abandoned industry. From industry to art, sculptors have reclaimed the medium, breathing life and renewed vision back into iron casting and the historic site. This goal can never be realized without emphasizing the key components of what makes a more unified community. Through sharing experiences, encouraging questions, and personal accountability, the community grows together, instead of apart. Inclusion is vital for a community to thrive, providing opportunities to all skill levels, welcoming anyone who is willing to learn, and eliminating all forms of discrimination.

These ideals create the foundation on which the metal arts community is built. We hope to empower the next generation of metal artists, fostering an ethos of equality and impartiality, recognizing that we need respect, recognition, and encouragement in order to flourish.