by Julie Lineback
Art Incend, a collaborative effort between several departments, continued the annual weeklong tradition of iron pours, sculptures, pumpkins and treats.
The celebration began on October 25 with the loading of the anagama kiln.
'Anagama,' a Japanese word designating a cave pottery kiln, is a type of kiln that has its origins in ancient times. The kiln was kept ablaze with a continuous supply of firewood and tending. Stoking it around the clock was necessary to keep temperatures hot enough to produce the unique wood fired pottery and glazes.
Since Art Incend coincided with the week of Halloween, jack-o-lanterns were on the cutting edge on October 29 when students, faculty and staff, and the community emerged to carve out some gourds. The sight of the jack-o-lanterns lit up later that evening thrilled young and old as they arrived for Safe Treat. This event, hosted by Residence Life, offers local trick-or-treaters, ages two to 12, a safe place to get their loot. Dozens of student organizations worked together to put on the event.
Workshops were also held throughout the week. Art faculty and students were available to assist others in casting and molding, cyanotype and relief/scratch block creation, painting, and batiking, which is a process of coloring fabrics with a wax resistant dyeing technique.
The annual event came to a close on November 1 with the Iron Pour. The sky on campus glowed a particular shade of amber as molten iron was poured into sand molds for art students’ projects.
