From Town of Vail Information ServicesMore than 30 artists from across the country will come to Vail next week to cast iron and bronze at a free public outdoor event. The Town of Vail Art in Public Places (AIPP) and the Vail Symposium are sponsoring the “Heavy Metal Weekend” from 5 to 9 p.m. Jan. 18-20 at the International Bridge, bringing the 5,000-year-old industrial process out of the foundry and onto the streets of Vail.

According to AIPP Coordinator Leslie Fordham, the performances will take place after dark to take advantage of the spectacular visual impact of the process. Artists will dress in fire-safe clothing and load bronze and scrap iron into two iron-melting furnaces called cupolas. Temperatures within the cupolas will reach up to 3,000 degrees. Once molten, the fluid is poured into molds created by visiting and local artists. “The fire-resistant suits will make the artists look like invaders from outer space,” said Fordham. “The effect, combined with the flames and liquid metal, will make the event fun to watch for all ages.”

The idea for Vail’s iron casting performance came from artist Mark Guilbeau of SPH ArtFunctions and University of Colorado sculpture professor Rian Kerrane, who describe the event as “more exciting than an erupting volcano.” In addition to entertaining and educating the public on the casting process, the two consider the event a unique opportunity for artists to learn from each other. While iron casting performances have taken place all over Colorado, this will be the largest gathering of artists and art students at one event.

In addition to the metal casting performances, an artists’ reception, free and open to the public, will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Bistro in the Marketplace on Meadow Drive, located in the new One Willow Bridge Road building. Also, George Beasley, a senior member of the team of artists, will give a free public lecture on process-oriented art from 4 to 5 p.m. Jan. 20 in the Sonnenalp Hotel library.

For more information, contact Fordham at 479-2344 or visit www.artinvail.com