9th Biennial Western Cast Iron Art Conference: Slag Circus
September 30 – October 4, 2026 | The Skillet & Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM
The Western Cast Iron Art Alliance brings the methods and madness of casting iron for sculptural forms and performance art with metal to states in the western United States every two years.
This year’s gathering themed Slag Circus, will be held at The Skillet Studio and Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Come cast iron, hone your skills and pick up new ones while meeting artists, students, and professionals of all types, plus our iron carnival returns, better than ever.
Join us as we begin transitioning from academic institutions to alternative spaces for artmaking.
New Mexico
Keynote Eric Fuertes
Eric FuertesAssistant Professor of ArtCollege of DuPageGlen Ellyn, IllinoisWebsite: www.ericfuertes.comInstagram: @fuertesmadeArtist StatementMy work examines the ways materials and objects carry memory, reflect labor, and shape ourunderstanding of place and identity. Working with cast iron, wood, steel, and contemporarydigital fabrication, I am interested in how traditional craft and emerging technologies can exist indialogue, each informing the […]
Panels in New Mexico
Iron Family Feud Modeled after the long-running television game show Family Feud, this interactive session, hosted by Biff Ladlewarmer, invites two teams to compete by answering survey questions focused on iron casting and foundry practices, materials, processes and personalities from the Western region. Each round begins with a head-to-head buzzer challenge, where one contestant from each […]
Meet our 9th Conference Hosts!
David Lobdell David Lobdell is Professor Emeritus of Art at New Mexico Highlands University, internationally recognized sculptor, educator, and one of the leading figures of the contemporary cast iron movement. He founded the internationally acclaimed Iron Tribe Symposium in 2001, transforming Las Vegas, New Mexico into a destination for iron artists from around the world. […]
Registration is Open!
9th Biennial Western Cast Iron Art Conference — Slag Circus Mark your calendars, registration for the 9th Biennial Western Cast Iron Art Conference is officially open! This year’s event, themed Slag Circus, will be held September 30 – October 4, 2026 at The Skillet & Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Every two years, […]
Exhibitions!!!
Whether student or professional, apply with your work of iron for this year’s conference.
Las Vegas, New Mexico Lodging
CAMPGROUNDS/RV PARKS KOA CAMPGROUND 76 ROMEROVILLE FRONTAGE RD STORRIE LAKE STATE PARK LV NORTH HWY 518 VILLANUEVA STATE PARK 135 DODGE RD VILLANUEVA VEGAS STORAGE & CAMPGROUND 504 HARRIS RD MONTEZUMA HOT SPRINGS not available for camping HOT SPRINGS BLVD/HWY 65 MONTEZUMA, NM 6:00AM TO 10:00PM DAILY HOTEL BEST WESTERN* 2020 […]
Who we are/What we do
We are about:
Hot Metal
People
Western Traditions