“A sculptor is kind of a jack-of-all trades. I think that’s what you have to be,” said Chris Meyer, associate professor of art at the University of South Dakota. “You have to have a curiosity to figure out almost anything. And it doesn't just apply to foundry. It applies to woodworking, to mold-making, to pretty much any material you can think of.”

Sculpture, especially iron pouring, requires a community of artists and others who are willing to gather and create something bigger than themselves. Iron pours that Meyer hosts every every summer feel like a family reunion. Artists, students and burly men from all around the Midwest come together and unite around a cupola, an instrument that reaches temperatures up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

USD Art Department chair Cory Knedler said that Meyer, who was was accepted this year to the board of the National Iron Pour Conference, deserves a lot of credit for how he has shaped the sculpture department since he arrived at USD. He has boosted the number of students, increased the quality of the graduate program and introduced the iron pour back into the curriculum. By doing this, the department is drawing interest from artists around the country.

“Visiting artists are really important to the art department because we do have the university in a very isolated area of the country. So it’s really nice to have other artists come and talk to our students about what they do with their art work and that way the students can learn new techniques, new ideas, and share ideas with them as well,” said Knedler.

Sculpture is one of the many programs that the art department offers at USD. Among the other majors: ceramics, painting, printmaking, graphic design and photography. For details on classes, visit USD’s art department.

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