Still Building America—Foundry apprentice Sarah Dorau loves her job

This month’s Still Building America post features foundry apprentice Sarah Dorau. When I met Sarah, she was casting a creative aluminum light switch cover in the foundry at the Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, Tenn. Her passion for metalwork and art was evident in her presentation and in how she engaged with the foundry guests. I want you to meet her too.

JW: Could you explain what kind of work you do?

SD: My proper title is foundry apprentice for the Ornamental Metal Museum. I focus on assisting the foundry foreman on custom commissions using a wide variety of molding techniques and materials, predominantly bronze, aluminum, brass, and cast iron.

JW: What got you started?

SD: I got started casting metal in college while I was studying sculpture at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. I always felt limited by other mediums, but with casting I was able to produce a product that was consistent with my artistic vision.

JW: How did you decide on your career path?

SD: I decided to pursue metal casting as a career path for many reasons. I really enjoyed the community aspect as it is very close-knit, as well as the diversity of moldmaking materials and the problem solving that is required. With every new project and pattern, I am being challenged physically and mentally, which is both stimulating and satisfying.

JW: Who were your influences, and who has had an impact on your life?

SD: I have been highly influenced by my professors at SIU, who always challenged me to push the medium conceptually, and by my mentor James Vanderpool at the Metal Museum, who has had a significant impact on both my technical skill set and my artistic practice. I am extremely honored to have learned from brilliant minds and creatives in my field.

JW: What type of background and training do you have?

SD: I started doing metalwork in high school, where I attended welding classes part-time at a local vocational school. From there I began working with a blacksmith in the area who really opened my eyes to the creative side of metalwork, all while pursuing my welding certifications at the community college. My welding professor told me about this school in southern Illinois that offered blacksmithing as a degree program, and so I applied and was accepted into the art program there.

My mom is a very skilled woodworker and was very encouraging of my desire to pursue art. After two years of trying, failing, and feeling frustrated by the blacksmithing program, I started taking sculpture classes, which absolutely changed the entire course of my life. We did a lot of casting in my intro to sculpture class, which included an iron pour, and from then on I was hooked. I graduated from SIU in 2014 with a specialization in sculpture and ceramics. I interned at Franconia Sculpture Park in Shafer, Minn., as well as three months at the Metal Museum before I was offered a two-year, full-time (and paid!) position as the foundry apprentice.

JW: What is your favorite part of the job?

SD: Oh boy! Where do I begin! I think my favorite part of the job is that we are a purely custom-commissioned foundry. Every job that we get is done by hand and is unique. I get to be a part of every step of the process, and because of the diversity of the commissions that come in, I am constantly being challenged and learning new techniques and skills. Every day is something new and exciting.

I think right along with that is the love I have for my co-workers. Working for a nonprofit can be very trying at times, but everyone who works here really loves their job and wants to work together as a team. We have become a family that can truly solve any problem that might come into our shop. Brilliant and creative minds all together in one place showcasing beautiful metalwork? All with the best view of the Mississippi River in all of Memphis? Yeah, my job is pretty much the best.

JW: What's the goal for your career?

SD: I’ve been asking myself this question a lot lately as I’m nearing the end of my apprenticeship in Memphis. I love to learn, and I love metal. I’m hoping that my path continues to lead me to jobs and experiences that both further my technical capacities and push me to better my artistic practice. I think my dream would be to run a sculpture park one day and offer the same creative freedoms to other artists that I have had.

JW: What advice would you give your peers if they wanted to find a similar path? Not even just specifically doing exactly what you do, but in general?

SD: Everyone is an artist. You will learn the most by stepping outside your comfort zone. By working in new places, meeting new people, and challenging yourself.

Failure is the greatest thing that can ever happen to you. You learn so much from failure, and if you embrace it, you will always be bettering yourself and moving toward your goals, even if you don’t know what they are yet. It is OK not to be good at something right off the bat, but if you are dancing around superexcited about something that you just learned, I think that’s a sign you are on the right path. Keep trying everything. Allow yourself to fail, and then try again.

All images courtesy of Josh Welton, Brown Dog Welding.

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