Ring of Fire attracts visitors to campus to experience flame-based art

people pounding on anvils — Members of the Anvil Club give a blacksmithing demonstration during the Ring of Fire event held Saturday, Oct. 26, on the Alfred University campus. They were among several Alfred University students who gave demonstrations on various methods of using flame to create art.

At Alfred University’s “Ring of Fire” event Saturday, October 26, members of the campus and local communities were treated to a variety of demonstrations showcasing the power of fire in the creation of art.

The free event, held for a second year on the Alfred University campus, provided demonstrations of iron and glass casting, blacksmithing, glass blowing, and neon. It also offered interactive opportunities in Raku firing and aluminum casting.

photo of two people pouring molten glass into a mold — A glass-casting demonstration at the Ring of Fire event

Attendees from the campus community and public experienced the creation of art in ceramics, glass, and metal. Visitors had the opportunity to create art through the purchase of scratch block molds for aluminum casting as well as glaze-it-yourself ceramic objects for Raku. With Raku, glazed ceramics are taken from the kiln while they are still glowing red hot and are then placed in a flammable material, such as sawdust or newspaper. This technique is used to starve the piece of oxygen, which creates a myriad of colors within the glaze.

Three Alfred University student clubs—the Clay Collective, Sculpture Society, and Alfred Anvil— served as primary participants/sponsors of the event and provided demonstrations. Attendees will also have the opportunity to enjoy complimentary s’mores or to support a local business by purchasing a meal from one of the attending food trucks.

two people sitting by a fire eating a snack — A pair of visitors to the Ring of Fire event enjoy some complimentary s'mores

A percentage of all proceeds raised will be donated to Alfred’s A.E. Crandall Hook and Ladder Company, which had a fire truck on hand. All additional proceeds will go toward providing opportunities for students within the arts.