Wayne Potratz
Wayne is an artist, sculptor, and Professor Emeritus of the Art Department at the University of Minnesota. His work in cast bronze, cast iron, Tama-hagane steel, and Wootz steel has been exhibited regionally, nationally, and internationally in 30 one-person exhibitions and more than 340 group exhibitions. A life-long creative research investigation and practice of ancient and ethnic metal casting technologies, (including Meso-American, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and Western African methodologies) led him to Japan in 1999, where he studied the Tatara, a method of smelting iron ore into high carbon steel. Since that time he has been making steel from Minnesota magnetite iron ore using both traditional and hybrid methods.
See Wayne's website for images of work and process.
Current Courses Offered by Wayne Potratz
Viking-Era Bronze Casting with Recyclable Clay Molds
9am-5pm each day
Viking-Era Smelting: Iron-Age Technology in the Modern Era
9am-5pm each day