Sloss Furnace
Sloss Furnace of Birmingham is coming to the 2010 Mural City Art Fest!
So what’s Sloss Furnace? If you’ve visited Sloss Furnace National Historical Landmark in Birmingham, then you know the answer. If you haven’t, here’s the scoop.
History
Alabama has a rich history with metal and Sloss Furnace, Birmingham’s earliest iron foundry, was at the forefront. Sloss Furnace was established by Colonel James Withers Sloss in the early 1880’s. Why Birmingham? There was an abundance of ore, coal and limestone in the mountains surrounding the city, all key ingredients for the production of iron and steel. Colonel Sloss and nineteen (19) others like him, took advantage of the opportunity offered by those natural resources and developed the industry that became the catalyst for economic development in Birmingham. The city became the South’s foremost industrial center and was often referred to as “The Pittsburgh of the South”
During the 1960’s, demand for steel began to decline with the advent of plastics and new technology that permitted reuse of existing material. In the early 1970’s, Sloss Furnace closed its doors.
The old iron making plant would have disappeared, had it not been for the vision of Birmingham’s citizens. They approved a $3.3 million bond that set in motion the preservation of the plant and ultimately led to establishment of the nationally renowned Sloss Furnace National Historical Landmark.
Sloss Furnace’s Metal Arts Program
Sloss Furnace’s Metal Arts program is rooted in Birmingham’s historic connection to iron and steel. The city owes its existence to these metals and to the forming and processing industries that grew up around them. Although such industries are no longer the dominant forces they once were, they are still an important part of the city’s economic life and offer tremendous resources for the production of metal sculpture.
The Sloss team is bringing a mobile furnace to the Mural City Art Fest on May 1st. They’ll be carving molds and casting simple low-relief metal sculptures using open-face “scratch molds”. Visitors will have an opportunity to participate in the creative process of mold design and metal casting. Scratch blocks are $7 each.
For more information about Sloss Furnace, visit their website at www.slossfurnaces.com/