CAMBRIDGE - Dorchester Center for the Arts is pleased to welcome Bill Wolff of Salisbury University for a six-week class on direct displacement metal casting titled “Styrofoam to Metal.” The class will meet Tuesdays at DCA from 5-7 p.m. May 17-June 21.

Wolff is head of the sculpture program and chair of the Art Department at Salisbury University. His work in wood, metal and installation has been exhibited locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Wolff holds a BFA and an MFA in sculpture from Binghamton University and Louisiana State University. Previously Wolff lived and worked in Rochester, New York, where he taught 3D design at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  His work can be viewed at billwolff.net.

Styrofoam is easily assembled, glued and carved with precision using common rotary tools and other basic tools, and it can be vaporized in the presence of molten metal. Participants will develop imagery using oil-based modeling clay, then carve the forms in styrofoam, which will then be cast in metal using the direct displacement process with dry sand. This process is versatile and immediate, resulting in permanent metal objects with a high degree of surface fidelity.

The basics of metal finishing will be covered, and students will take home at least one complete cast metal sculpture. This class is appropriate for anyone 14 years of age and up. No specific experience is required. 

All materials (sand, foam, aluminum, sundry) and some tools will be provided. A list of recommended additional tools will be provided on the first day. Work gloves, eye protection and an appropriate respirator are required. Aluminum ingot will be provided, but bronze will also be available for an additional cost. 

For more details and registration, visit DCA online at dorchesterarts.org or stop by 321 High Street in Cambridge. DCA is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday noon-8 p.m. Programs at DCA are supported by the Maryland State Arts Council. For the latest, find DCA on Facebook.