““I LOVE coming back to the Liberty Arts Iron Pour every year to reconnect with some of the most talented artists I know and to watch a new wave of young artists bring their energy and their wild ideas to the event. This event is, without exaggeration, the best damn party in iron.””
Liberty Arts Proudly Presents…
The 10th Annual Iron Pour
Celebrating a Decade of Iron Casting in the Bull City
Saturday, November 14th | 4:00pm-9:00pm
Durham Central Park
Durham, NC – Liberty Arts proudly presents the tenth annual Iron Pour, a spectacular display of sculptural art making and a free community festival happening Saturday, November 14th from 4:00pm to 9:00pm in Durham Central Park. On the tenth anniversary of the first Liberty Arts Iron Pour, artists and makers of unique disciplines will gather to share their crafts and connect with their broader community, forging new bonds and reigniting their excitement for the arts.
THE ARTISTS BEHIND THE POUR
The Iron Pour is only possible due to an ever-growing team of phenomenally skilled artists! This year we are joined by artists and students from across the state of North Carolina, all of whom are excited to play their part in bringing this annual artmaking festival to life! Learn more about a few spotlighted members of our Pour Team below:
LAUREN PUCKETT
Lauren Puckett is a stained glass sculptural artist who is developing new processes for the creation and preservation of stained glass. She received her MFA from the University of Edinburgh and is the recipient of the Edinburgh College of Art’s International PhD Scholarship. Her work researches the environmental impacts on stained glass to utilise new computer numeric control technological processes for the preservation and reconstruction of stained glass works, creating a framing support network that can reduce and/or eliminate the use of lead, in-line with the European Union’s upcoming restriction on the use of lead material.
MAC METZ
Mac Metz is a sculptor working at Starworks in Star, NC. His work focuses on ideas of history and philosophy as metaphor. Working in a variety of materials the main elements of his work are metal, stone, glass and wood
alan Shelton
I love building things that improve people's lives, and I especially love working in metal. I built the parts of the dragon that send flames roaring into the sky—my friend Thaddeus built the dragon's body and turned my little experiment into something really cool. We met at Mixxer, the community makerspace in Winston-Salem that I led a group to open in 2018.
WAYLON BIGSBY
Waylon Bigsby is a studio artist and arts educator based in Greenville, South Carolina. He earned a BFA at East Carolina University and an MFA at the University of Kentucky. Waylon has served on the steering committee for the National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art and Practices, as well as the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art, and currently teaches sculpture at Furman University.
CRAFT VENDORS AT IRON POUR
This year’s Iron Pour features more craft vendors than ever before! Visit over 25 vendors in our Iron Night Market. Check out a few highlighted vendors below, along with the list of participating vendors.
LINK MASTER
Carl Faren is the artist and maker behind Link Master, a chainmaille-inspired jewelry, accessory, and wearable art brand. Influenced from her backgrounds in welding and modern dance, Carl creates sculptural pieces that combine industrial craftsmanship with fluidity and texture. Each piece is intentionally designed with movement, balance and form in mind.
HEW JEWELRY
Nanette is a black, queer artist born into a Caribbean family in south Florida. She went on to study in Quito, Ecuador, Boston, Massachusetts, and Florence, Italy. After graduating from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2015 with her BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing, Nanette has been exploring her practice within her brand, Hew Jewelry. She also teaches from her own studio, as well as various craft schools up and down the east coast.
SORREAL ART
My name is Kasey Sorrell and I was born and raised in Durham, NC. I have a background in photography, with the primary focus of documenting nature and still scenes like abandoned homes along the backroads of NC. In 2022, I transitioned my main art form from photography to clay. I create functional ware as well as sculptures to embellish home with wonder and life. My style is abstract, gestural and loose. I believe there's much excitement in the realm of curiosity and uncertainty. My work is inspired by the variety and reiterations of forms that the Earth continuously births, and I envision to instill these characteristics within myself and my work. When I am able, I try to find the opportunity to fire my pots in an atmospheric firing condition - wood, soda, and pit firing, to embrace my theme of connecting nature/human, and uncertainty!
OLD BULL WoodWORKS
Sam has been making things with wood most of his life: model airplanes as a kid, theatre sets, construction, furniture repair, and eventually charcuterie boards and furniture. In 2020 he added woodturning with classes at the Campbell School. Since 2025 he has focused almost entirely on turning. He’s inspired by the natural beauty of wood: the grain, the colors and patterns of spalting, and the irregular figure of burls. He loves sharing functional art with others.
GIANINE CARBONE DESIGNS
Gianine creates layered and textured pieces that honor the earth through the exclusive use of recycled metals and ethically sourced gemstones. Her foundational material is Argentium Sterling Silver, which is 100% recycled and is valued for its tarnish resistance. She dedicates her practice to mostly creating one-of-a-kind pieces. Every design marks a new direction in her journey, resulting in an unrepeatable treasure.
PIEDMONT CLAYWORKS
Julie is a Durham based ceramic artist working with locally sourced materials focusing on making functional pieces for the home. Her work aims to bring a touch of beauty and North Carolina terroir into the home and everyday use. Ranging from dish-ware and home furnishings to large scale vessels and sculptural pieces Julie’s work always uses local clay and local sensibilities in their creation. In 2020 Julie founded Outer Loop Arts in downtown Durham where she turns and teaches classes. She encourages everyone to come visit every third Friday for the monthly Durham art walk.
Iron Night Market Vendors 2026:
Wild Weald Studio
Lady Pilot Letterpress
Kitchsy Friends
T Becker Jewelry
Sorreal Art
Random Chaos and Accessories
Old Bull Woodworks
Gianine Carbone Designs
Red Flag Print Shop
Hew Jewelry
Alysa Cantor Art
Jeez Louise Glass
The Flying Jackalope
Jon Richey Glass Works
Piedmont Clayworks
Kelly Wove it
Link Master
Iron Glass Forge
Woodcrafty
Maison Hart
Quetal Ceramics
Moss Bloom Studio
Aniimau
Sweet Amy Designs
Potter in the Pines
volunteer at iron pour
Bring your volunteering skills to the Iron Pour this year! We need YOUR help to make the Iron Pour a success. Join us as a photo volunteer, help staff different Liberty Arts booths, or assist with visual arts crafts! Use the sign up sheet below to join us on the night of the Iron Pour and surrounding dates.
Questions? Email ironpour@libertyartsnc.org!
Visitors looking forward to the Iron Pour can get a head start on the celebration by attending Liberty Arts’ fall pre-programming events:
Iron Pour Workshops are ongoing, running from September to November. Students can participate by making scratch blocks or relief sculptures, which will be cast in Iron in November.
The 10th Anniversary Tile Show will take place October 16th at Liberty Arts Studios. Students from the last 10 years can submit their artwork to this monumental exhibition that celebrates ten years of metal casting at the Iron Pour.
All Hallow’s Smash is an exciting collaborative event between Liberty Arts and the Scrap Exchange on Halloween! This Iron Pour and Smash Fest Pre-party highlights reuse art. Join Liberty Arts iron breaking captains as they instruct volunteers to smash reclaimed scrap iron during All Hallow’s Smash. Volunteer efforts will directly support the sculptures that are cast during the Iron Pour!
About Iron Pour
Every November since 2016, Liberty Arts has hosted this free community event which takes place at Durham Central Park. More than 5,000 attendees are expected to watch artists operate two furnaces that heat thousands of pounds of iron to unfathomable temperatures. Throughout the evening teams of artists and students from around North Carolina will gather to pour their own sculptural pieces along with iron tiles designed by community members. The festival also features performances, local food trucks, craft beer, art vendors, and opportunities to learn from and engage with this spectacular art form.
about liberty arts
Liberty Arts is an artist and community-centered organization that facilitates experiences to enhance artistic growth and community building through creative practice, education, and collaboration. Liberty Arts believes that art practices, creative collaborations, and sustainable partnerships foster strong community connections in Durham and throughout The Triangle.
You can support the Iron Pour and more Liberty Arts Programming today by making a donation.