Michael Bonadio, a West Virginia University alumnus and self-described “Southern artist with Northern routes,” will be a visiting artist in the School of Art and Design from April 1-5 as part of the collaborative art metal casting event “Mountain State Smeltdown.”

Bonadio, originally from Boston, received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from WVU in 2003 with a focus on sculpture. His current work explores a collective experience with playful tones and honoring puns. For the last 10 years, he has worked at various art museums in New England and the South, teaching art to children and adults while developing expertise in metal casting and museum operations.

His formal training and passion for metal casting came from his roles as resident artist and production manager at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, Ala., from 2007- 2011. Bonadio is the current foundry director for Salem Art Works, a nonprofit art center and sculpture park located in rural Upstate New York.

Bonadio will be the featured artist for “Smeltdown,” a week of collaborative metal casting between the sculpture programs at WVU and Fairmont State University.

On Wednesday, April 3, Bonadio will be conducting metal casting demonstrations at the WVU Creative Arts Center, Room 2253 (sculpture studio metalshop) from 3-5 p.m. He will also present a public lecture about his artwork that day from 5-6 p.m. in Room 2251 (sculpture studio woodshop).

On Friday, April 5, Bonadio will judge a chili cook-off and conduct an iron pour at the Fairmont State University foundry, beginning at 12 p.m.

All events are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact WVU art professor Dylan Collins by email at dylan.collins@mail.wvu.edu.

More information on “Mountain State Smeltdown” events can be found at http://www.mountainstatefoundries.com.

-WVU-

cl/03/27/13

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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