Colorado Mesa University

The Maverick : Fall 2018

The Maverick magazine is a great way to stay in touch with current events at your alma mater, old classmates and the bright future of Colorado Mesa University.

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20 FOUNDRY When Araan Schmidt joined CMU's Department of Art and Design faculty six years ago, sculpture students had been using the school's bronze foundry for casting their work for many years. Raised around the University of Iowa's sculpture department, where his father taught for 30 years, Schmidt's interests and work included other metals — aluminum, brass and cast iron. He participated in the first iron pour of his own mold at age 10. Schmidt's work sparked his students' interest and led to the installation of an iron foundry behind the Fine Arts building. The furnace can accommodate up to 500 pounds of iron in one mold. "There's something hypnotic about working with melted metal; the thrill of the fire and a bit of danger," Schmidt said. "Probably 90 percent of our students with a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in sculpture didn't know they were going to be majoring in sculpture when they started. They discovered it at CMU." Schmidt said what attracted him to teaching at CMU are the same things that attract students to enroll here. "It's a small school, small class sizes. And the administration prides itself on giving students unique opportunities. Undergraduates are working at a graduate level, producing complicated pieces." He knows of only one other school in Colorado where students do metal casting. Students produce hundreds of metal pieces each semester and much of it is displayed in the Fine Arts building foyer. Some outdoor bronze works are installed around campus. Students made many of the plaques on campus honoring founders, faculty and benefactors. While the department does two to three bronze pours every week during the school year, only one iron pour takes place each semester. "When I look at this work, attend a pour event, it blows me away," said Foster. "How does one go from visualizing a piece, drawing it and carving, then to the pour which is very industrial and disciplined? It strikes me as a totally different, unique skill set." From programs to facilities to athletics, CMU will continue to hold strong to its Maverick mantra by providing niche opportunities to help propel all Mavericks into successful futures. •

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