Kingsport Iron Pour

The Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts and Engage Kingsport are bringing back one of the most popular artistic events of last year.

The Iron Pour event will be held at the Inventor Center (118 Shelby Street) on May 7 beginning at noon. The pouring will take place at approximately 1 p.m.

Sculpture artist Tripp Jarvis and a team of master sculptors will conduct an iron pour demonstration, heating up 500 pounds of iron to 3,000 degrees. Then, when the iron is white hot, Jarvis and his team will pour it into molds made during one of the eight scratch mold workshops.

It’s free to watch the iron pour, but if you would like to participate and make your own iron artwork, then you need to attend one of the eight scratch mold workshops. Here, you’ll scratch unique designs into an 8-inch sand mold which will be cast with molten iron during the event.

The cost is only $15 and the workshops are held on the following days at the Inventor Center:

Thursday, April 14, 10 a.m. – noon

Thursday, April 21, 10 a.m. – noon

Friday, April 29, 10 a.m. – noon

Friday, April 29, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Saturday, April 30, 10 a.m. – noon

Friday, May 6, 10 a.m. – noon

Friday, May 6, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m. – noon (This is the morning of the Iron Pour event. All molds must be completed no later than 12:30pm).

The iron pour will take place rain or shine and advance registration is required. You must be 16 years of age or older. Children ages 6-15 are welcome to participate if accompanied by an adult

For more information visit www.engagekingsport.com or call the Office of Cultural Arts at 423-392-8414. The Kingsport Iron Pour is made possible by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

About the Office of Cultural Arts

The Office of Cultural Arts (OCA), part of the City of Kingsport, connects, coordinates and engages the public with a creative community. We operate the Renaissance Arts Center, the Farmer’s Market, the Kingsport Carousel, the Carousel Fine Craft Show, Kingsport Public Art Program, Engage Kingsport Performing Arts Series and a broad range of support to the area’s arts organizations. The OCA works in tandem with Engage Kingsport, Inc., the “Friends of the Cultural Arts” group, a private, volunteer-led 501(c)3 non-profit community organization.

About the City of Kingsport

Founded in 1917, the City of Kingsport (pop. 55,400) is located on the Tennessee-Virginia border at the crossroads of I-81 and I-26 near the geographic center of the eastern U.S. The city is widely known as a planned community, designed by renowned city planner John Nolen and wrapping around the foot of Bays Mountain – a 3,550-acre park, nature preserve, planetarium and observatory. Kingsport is recognized as an International Safe Community by the National Safety Council, a Healthier Tennessee community, and won the 2009 Harvard Innovations in American Government Award for its higher education initiatives. While many city names are duplicated throughout the U.S., there’s only one Kingsport – a fact that invokes community pride, known locally as the “Kingsport Spirit.”

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