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National Sculpture Society conference demonstrates Herron School’s ‘forward-thinking’ ethos

Sep 27, 2024

The National Sculpture Society held its annual conference at the Herron School of Art and Design at IU Indianapolis. The conference included an iron pour at the Indianapolis Art Center, pictured here. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University

“Everybody! Group yourselves by height!” associate professor Allison Baker shouted as Herron School of Art and Design students at Indiana University Indianapolis gathered in a large sand pit at the Indianapolis Art Center. Baker was in the midst of coordinating the hourslong process and spectacle known as an “iron pour” — where artists line up to pour molten iron into sand molds — at the National Sculpture Society’s annual conference, which Herron hosted Sept. 19 to 22.

National Sculpture Society President Gregory Glasson said the society saw the partnership with Herron as a way to highlight its recent drive to combine traditional techniques with modern technology, saying he had long been impressed by the school’s “forward-thinking” ethos. Like the National Sculpture Society, the sculpture program at the Herron School emphasizes both the traditional and the contemporary in its curriculum.

The conference connected students with established artists and educators. In addition to the iron pour, events included a panel discussion on artificial intelligence in sculpture, a clay modeling competition, a limestone carving demonstration by the Indiana Limestone Symposium, and social media workshops led by students from Herron and the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering. Events took place at Herron’s studios in downtown Indianapolis and at the Indianapolis Art Center in Broad Ripple.

The National Sculpture Society Conference at Herron

Open gallery

Artists from across the country compete in the clay modeling competition at the National Sculpture Society's annual conference held at th...
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Faculty members in Herron’s sculpture department jumped at the chance to collaborate with the National Sculpture Society and the Indianapolis Art Center to demonstrate an iron pour, in part because it gave their students a unique experiential learning opportunity. Herron students in attendance — mostly junior and senior sculpture or integrative studio practice majors — were enthusiastic about the experience, referring to themselves as the “Sculpture Collective.”

Nari Kelley, a junior studying sculpture, said they loved being part of the sculpture program because of the strong community of artists nurtured by fellow students and professors who are focused on providing students with ample opportunities for growth.

“We’ve created a skills-rooted program that makes use of new media and new materials,” Baker said of Herron’s sculpture curriculum. “We let the students forge their own path.”

Students and faculty from the Herron School of Art and Design at IU Indianapolis pitch in during the iron pour. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University

An iron pour is not something artists can do on their own, so few sculptors will pass up an opportunity to have a mold filled. At this event, sand molds from conference participants, local artists and Herron students lined the ground in orderly rows. National Sculpture Society conference attendees and faculty from both the Indianapolis Art Center and Herron mingled with students, some of whom were doing a pour for the first time.

“The sculpture program at Herron has had a long-standing community relationship that we are very proud of, where we consider the city to be part of our studio and part of our facilities,” said Eric Nordgulen, professor of foundations and sculpture at Herron.

The facilities at Herron played a part in the appeal of Indianapolis as a location for the conference. Baker said that many visitors think of the school’s Eskenazi Fine Arts Center as a “sculptor’s sculpture shop” and are often impressed by the variety of processes made possible by the facilities at Herron.

“There are not a lot of programs that have the equipment to do traditional processes but also offer the freedom and support to make risky, experimental, contemporary work,” Baker said.

Glasson applauded the Herron students’ participation in many of the conference events. He said the National Sculpture Society promotes educational programs that support classical training and excellence in the representational field.

An artist participates in the clay modeling competition, one of many events during the National Sculpture Society's annual conference at the Herron School of Art and Design. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University

“Part of our mission, and what is going on during the conference, is establishing a strong partnership with schools like Herron,” Glasson said.

From its outset in 1893, the National Sculpture Society has claimed some of the most well-known figurative sculptors in America among its membership. Stanford White, designer of the Washington Square Arch, and Daniel Chester French, best known for his monumental marble statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial, were founding members. Today, the society boasts some of America’s top figurative sculptors among its membership, many of whom traveled to Indianapolis for the events.

Artist Robert Michael Smith, a well-known pioneer in the world of digital sculpture, watched a group of students carry his sand mold of a 3D-printed sculpture to a space in front of the blast furnaces at the Indianapolis Art Center, where iron oxide is converted into molten iron.

“This is a full-circle moment for me,” Smith said, referring to the iron pour. “I’ve been waiting 30 years to do this. We’re going from a virtual file on a computer to a physical cast metal piece. I’m getting back to the future.”

Author

IU Newsroom

Teresa Mackin

Deputy Director of Media Relations, Indianapolis
Herron School of Art and Design

Christiane Wisehart

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