9 iron sculptures added to Scranton Riverwalk during Fire at the Furnace Week on May 31
From a press release:
As part of Fire at the Furnace Week in Scranton, a new exhibit featuring nine large-scale iron sculptures will soon be installed along the downtown Scranton Riverwalk. Members of the public are invited to celebrate industrial arts and local history at the opening reception for “Confluence: Art on the Trail” on Thursday, May 31 from 12:30 p.m.-2 p.m. along the “Spur Trail” of the Scranton Riverwalk.
Hosted by the eighth annual International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art, Confluence: Art on the Trail showcases sculptures that pay homage to the Lackawanna Heritage Valley’s industrial history. Durant Thompson, associate professor of art at the University of Mississippi, juried and curated the exhibit.
Confluence: Art on the Trail is made possible through the efforts of Keystone Iron Works and the Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area, with partial funding from the Willary Foundation. The project is aptly named for the confluence of the Lackawanna and Susquehanna Rivers and the coordination of arts, education, and environmental organizations.
The pieces pictured here are “Diskburn with Grid” by Carl Billingsley, “Under the Wave” by Kevin Dartt, “Appalachian Balance Beam” by Durant Thompson, and “Global Positioning” by Mary Bates Neubauer:
The “Spur Trail” is a section of the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail across from Scranton High School on Providence Road. It is easily accessed by walking or biking from the Olive Street Trailhead to a fork in the pathway where a large cast iron vessel titled The Hands is stationed. Turn right at the sculpture and continue to the new sculpture park.
The opening reception for Confluence: Art on the Trail is one of many Fire at the Furnace Week activities, running from Monday, May 28 and running through Saturday, June 2 in conjunction with the conference.
Featuring a “Post Industrial Iron” theme, the International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art will honor and celebrate the work of professional cast iron artists, scholars, and students from around the world. Hundreds of cast iron artists will participate in exhibitions, iron pours, demonstrations, lectures, and workshops.
It is a great honor for Scranton to serve as the host city for this international program, as the selection process was quite competitive with well-established arts communities from across the country, including Boston, Massachusetts, and Bethlehem, all vying for this opportunity.
A project of Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area, the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail is part of a 70-mile, multi-purpose trail system that follows the Lackawanna River. The LRHT begins at the confluence of the Lackawanna and Susquehanna Rivers in Pittston and continues north ,where it connects with the Delaware & Hudson Rail Trail.
Read a list of Fire at the Furnace Week highlights here. For more information about the conference, visit icccia.com and facebook.com/8icccia.
See NEPA Scene’s photos from the sixth annual Fire at the Furnace at the Scranton Iron Furnaces here.
