MISSOULA — SPARK! Arts held its Summer Ignite Conference June 19–20 at the University of Montana School of Education, offering professional development in arts-integrated teaching methods for elementary and middle school educators.
The event featured top teaching artists from across the country and was backed by the Kennedy Center’s Any Given Child initiative.
One highlight was a live iron-pouring demonstration led by Jesse Blumenthal, a recognized blacksmith and adjunct professor in UM’s School of Arts. Thirteen iron artists from five different states answered Blumenthal’s call and came to Missoula to participate.
Blumenthal has hosted annual iron pours like Crested Butte’s collaborative iron pour and the Free Cycles Solstice iron pour, but this year he brought the event to the UM campus as part of the Ignite conference.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, SPARK! Arts marked the milestone by offering the Ignite conference free of charge.
Director Sienna Solberg explained that as part of the Kennedy Center’s national Any Given Child program and powered by a donation from the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation, SPARK! Arts aimed to reaffirm its mission of equitable and accessible art education.
“Our name is SPARK!, The name of the conference is Ignite—what an amazing opportunity to collaborate with Jesse and his iron pour!” said Solberg.
Outdoors by the sculpture studio, the team transformed roughly 600 pounds of recycled iron, hand-broken from old radiators, into molten metal in the coal-forged blast furnace. Hundreds of educators watched, cocktail in hand, while a DJ set the mood and an appetizer tent facilitated networking.
Over two hours, glowing iron filled 27 artist molds. In addition to those pieces, they cast 35 iron tiles, into which honored educators at the conference carved custom designs in sand. These served as personalized keepsakes.
Rattlesnake Elementary School first grade teacher Joanna Lozar carved a Celtic knot into hers. She stood next to Lozar was her older sister Rachal Munday, also a teacher, but for second-grade students in Kalispell.
“What a wonderful thing this conference has been, it's been fantastic, and now I’m excited to get back in the classroom,” Munday said.
The conference attracted 350 registered participants and featured 13 national arts integration educators and trainers.
Blumenthal, a Missoula-based teaching artist who has incorporated his craft into local school curricula, emphasized the importance of hands-on experiences.
Solberg elaborated: “We have teachers who are burnt out or uninspired, and this is an important way to ignite that passion back.”
