To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the UC Santa Cruz foundry—the last in the UC system still offering classes—the campus hosted a celebratory bronze pour on May 15. The event, a highlight of the foundry’s biannual tradition, brought together students, alumni, faculty, and supporters for a lively and heartfelt celebration of artistic excellence and community.
This year’s pour was especially meaningful, as it combined student-made casts with those submitted by alumni, underscoring the foundry’s intergenerational impact. Among the contributors were Gina Farkas (Stevenson ’12) and Zach Feigenbaum (Porter B.A. ’11, M.A. ’14), a couple who met at UC Santa Cruz and have donated over $150,000 to support the foundry’s continued success.
Run by Sean Monaghan (Kresge ’83), a former student of the foundry’s founder Doyle Foreman, the event was a showcase of both technical mastery and deep mentorship. With help from trained staff—including two of Monaghan’s former students, Lucas Gasperik (Kresge ’11) and Courtney Scruggs (Kresge ’13)—the team poured molten bronze heated to nearly 2,000 degrees into sand molds. After cooling, sculptures were broken free using sledgehammers and airguns to reveal their final forms.
Foreman, a professor emeritus and the Arts Division’s first Black faculty member, was present for the event and honored with heartfelt tributes. Beth Stephens, professor of art, film and digital media, and performance, spoke movingly about Foreman’s generosity and influence.
The anniversary celebration also included notable guests such as Beverly Grova, a retired philanthropy officer, and Khalida Sarwari, policy analyst at the California State Senate, who presented a commemorative plaque on behalf of State Senator John Laird. “The foundry stands as a testament to creative resilience, sustainability, and the enduring power of mentorship in the arts,” Sarwari said.
The event marked an emotional milestone for several attendees. It was the final campus event for Ginny Hargrave, senior director of development, who will retire in June, and one of the final appearances by Dean Celine Parreñas Shimizu, who shared her appreciation for the foundry and expressed her lasting pride as a UC Santa Cruz Banana Slug.
Art Department Chair Elliot Anderson summed up the spirit of the day, calling the foundry “one of the most ancient of art practices” and “the fundamental essence of art.” The celebration honored not only five decades of creative work but also the enduring relationships, generosity, and vision that continue to shape the foundry’s future.