Join Rivers of Steel for the 2025 Intercollegiate Iron Pour and create lifelong connections with others in the metal arts community while casting iron at the historic Carrie Blast Furnaces!
Join Rivers of Steel for the 2025 Intercollegiate Iron Pour and create lifelong connections with others in the metal arts community while casting iron at the historic Carrie Blast Furnaces!
Students and faculty from across the United States are invited to the Carrie Blast Furnaces for an Intercollegiate Iron Pour taking place from March 20 – March 22, 2025.
The three-day event welcomes students to participate in an iron pour, be included in a pop-up exhibition, have a small mold cast, and join their peers for optional add-on opportunities. It’s a great opportunity to make lifelong connections with others in the metal arts community!
The weekend begins with the opening reception for the pop-up exhibition on Friday, followed by the iron pour on Saturday and the clean-up day on Sunday. Attendees arriving early on Friday can drop off their molds and take advantage of some free time to explore the city of Pittsburgh before the reception in the AC Power House at the Carrie Furnaces, where you’ll mix and mingle with colleagues and enjoy light refreshments.
Participation in Saturday’s iron pour includes the ability to cast a mold you’ve created in advance that requires less than 25 lbs. of iron. Want to bring more than one mold? Contact Paige Henry for information on additional fees / mold. Can’t bring a mold? Create a complimentary artist tile from a premade mold form on Friday and have it cast during the pour.
Basic registration is $100.00 and includes the activities mentioned above. You can round out the experience by adding on a mold-making workshop on Thursday and Friday for an additional $185.00. The weekend’s itinerary also includes opportunities to add on a Doodle Bowl workshop for a discounted fee of $40.00 and/or a Bladesmithing workshop for $250.
The following package rates are available for participating universities and institutions.
Small group rate $650 – includes basic registration for up to ten students.
Large Group rate $1,000 – includes basic registration for between 10 – 20 students.
Interested in learning more? Read last year’s story about the inaugural event and hear what some participants had to say.
The 2025 Intercollegiate Iron Pour is being held March 20 – 22, 2025.
$100.00
Add-on activities are available at check out.
*Space is limited so register today.
Registration Deadline March 10, 2025.
Add-on Opportunities (available during check out)
Two-day Mold-Making Workshop
This workshop covers multipart mold and pattern design, offered daily from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. beginning Thursday, March 20, 2025. Participants will prepare molds to be cast during the pour on Saturday, March 22, 2025. The workshop fee is $185 and includes up to 250 lbs. of sand and corresponding chemical, waste removal, and related foundry consumables. Sand and chemical needs beyond this allotted amount are available for $.31/lb.
The Doodle Bowl Experience
A three-hour doodle bowl workshop will be offered on Friday evening from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Participants can customize a premade sand mold in the shape of a bowl to create a unique bowl in solid aluminum! Space is limited for these workshops. Registration is $40.
Bladesmithing
A two-day Bladesmithing workshop will be offered beginning on Thursday, March 20 from 1:00-7:00 p.m. and continuing on Friday, March 21 from 4:00 p.m.– 7:00 p.m. These workshops are $250 each.
Schedule of Activities:
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Friday March 21, 2025
Saturday March 22, 2025
Sunday March 23, 2025
"It’s just brilliant! The Intercollegiate is a melting pot of information that you can be part of and can help shape your work for the future. It’s not just the technical stuff, but the important interactions and relationships created" —Coral Penelope Lambert, Professor of Sculpture Dimensional Studies. Alfred University
The Carrie Blast Furnaces are located in the communities of Swissvale and Rankin in the Monongahela River Valley.
The address is 801 Carrie Furnace Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15218.
As a former industrial site, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure an enjoyable visit.
Thank you for following these guidelines. We wish you to have the best visit possible, and appreciate your patience as we continue to improve the visitor experience.
For more information, contact info@riversofsteel.com.
such as tours, workshops, and festivals happening at each unique attraction.
