Alabama teens fired up as they transform molten iron into art at historic site

2 months ago 17

A student operates a furnace at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 17, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Mack Henry, a junior at the Mountain Brook High School, sculpts a helmet out of wax as he works on his final project at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 10, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

The exterior of at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark seen in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 10, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Victoria Surd, a junior at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, sculpts a dragon out of wax as she works on her final project at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 10, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Zariah Bailey, Juno Garcia, Victoria Surd and Will Franco chat around a work station as they work on their final projects at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 10, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Mack Henry, a junior at the Mountain Brook High School, tries on a helmet sculpted out of wax that will become his final project at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 10, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Lily Hornbuckle, a junior at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, sculpts a conch shell out of wax as she works on her final project at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 10, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Clara McFarland consults her notes as she explains the process behind sculpting a set of teeth that will become her final project at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 10, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Foundry Manager Ian Skinner (middle) assists students as they pour molten iron into molds at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 17, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Students pour molten iron into molds at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 17, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Foundry Manager Ian Skinner (middle) assists students as they pour molten iron into molds at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 17, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Resident artist Reiss Larkin pours chunks of iron into a small furnace at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, July 17, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Lily Hornbuckle, a junior at the Alabama School of Fine Arts stands for a photo by her final project - a cicada shell holding a cast iron conch shell on top of a nest of hair at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, July 30, 2026. The piece is her commentary on the different aesthetics people find pleasing or displeasing. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Resident artist Adri Hawkins (middle) fixes a metal piece as students Juno Garcia, Zariah Bailey, Will Franco and Mack Henry surround the display table at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Juno Garcia, a junior at Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School, stands by her project “El Nopal Florece,” at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, July 30, 2026. The piece is her commentary on the tendency for some Hispanic people to distance themselves from their culture. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Mack Henry, a junior at Mountain Brook High School, stands by his project loosely titled “The Face of God,” at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, July 30, 2026. The piece is his commentary on the evolution of Christianity. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Victoria Surd, a junior at the Alabama School of Fine Arts stands by a dragon she mead for her final project at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, July 30, 2026. “I feel like I’ve become like a professional artist and that’s kind of all I’ve wanted to do when I was young,” Surd said. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

Resident artist Adri Hawkins stands for a photo in front of the work her apprentices produced over the summer at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, July 30, 2026. (Will McLelland/AL.com)

For eight weeks over the summer, Birmingham-area high schoolers have an opportunity to work with iron under the same furnace that once powered the city’s economy at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark.

Read Entire Article