Associate Chair of Art and Art History Brings Metal Pour Event to Logan Square

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Taylor Hokanson hosted a live aluminum pour at Logan Square’s Comfort Station Sunday for community members and students.

Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood was treated to an aluminum mold-making event, courtesy of Columbia College Chicago faculty members and students. 

Patrons and community members were able to get involved in the process of making their own art at Sunday’s “metal pour” event at the Comfort Station, coordinated by Taylor Hokanson, Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Art and Art History at Columbia. Attendees received a blank “scratch block” sand mold in which they could carve their own design – no experience, safety gear, minimum age, or special tools required. 

Hokanson hopes the event will get the local community excited about the process of live art and sculpture making, as well as demonstrate the work Columbia has to offer. “Even though I’m a studio artist, I’m really excited about event making as a type of arts practice,” said Hokanson. “You don’t have to worry about who’s the audience, and who’s the artist, and who gets credit – it can just be a big party.” 

Columbia’s visiting artist, Eric Fuertes, sees the value of the college’s faculty and students involving the community in their art-making processes: showing what you can do with different materials, making it accessible, and getting people excited to support the arts. 

Columbia Fine Arts student and Sunday’s “furnace maestro,” Malkia Williams, was drawn to the more unconventional aspects of metal pouring as an artform. Being a transfer student, Malkia discovered unique opportunities at Columbia that weren’t offered elsewhere. It was in Hokanson’s Sculpture I class that she found her love for the medium.  

After the success of Sunday’s metal pour, Hokanson is looking ahead to the next opportunity for his students to bring similar events to Columbia’s campus. 

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