Wayne E. Potratz, Professor Emerita, Art Department, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota.
Texture: Form, Process, and the Aesthetics of Surface and Attendance at the 9th International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art, Berlin, September 15-20, 2022. This project involves making a series of cast iron tiles that demonstrate the rich potential of surface textures possible in sand casting, photographing both the sand mold of the tile, its surface, and the resulting iron casting. Of course, each tile will also have an aesthetic dimension and a PowerPoint presentation will also address how gesture, form, and process combine with aesthetic intent to convey content that is visual, emotional, and intellectual. I am seeking support for materials, supplies, and assistance in mixing sand, making molds, and photographing the process and the resulting works. The Department of Art will allow me access, as Professor Emeritus, to the U of MN Foundry to make molds and pour the iron. I plan to use unspent funding from the 2019 grant as well as this new grant to attend the regional Western Iron Art Conference at the University of South Dakota in October, 2022 and to present the results of my project: “Texture: Form, Process, and the Aesthetics of Surface” at the 9th International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art in Berlin, Germany in September, 2022.