Students of the Sculpture Studio at the Department of Fine Arts and Intermedia of the Faculty of Arts, Technical University of Košice (TUKE), participated in the international programme Creative Iron Casting 2026, held from 31 July to 8 August 2026 at the SERDE Artist Residency Centre in Aizpute, Latvia. The Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) was organised by the Art Academy of Latvia in Riga and focused primarily on practical education in traditional as well as experimental metal casting technologies.

Under the guidance of Prof. Nils Jumitis (Art Academy of Latvia), Mgr. art. Marián Straka, ArtD. (Faculty of Arts, TUKE), and other experts, the students had the opportunity to go through the individual stages of the process – from designing and preparing the model, through the technological preparation of moulds, to the actual casting and final finishing of the objects. The programme placed particular emphasis on material and technological knowledge, occupational safety, experimentation with spatial form, and the use of recycled cast iron in the creation of original artworks.

The participation of the Sculpture Studio also contributes to the broader internationalisation of the Faculty of Arts, TUKE, and the development of cooperation with the Art Academy of Latvia in Riga. During a working visit to Latvia, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, TUKE, Assoc. Prof. Mgr. art. Ing. Richard Kitta, ArtD., also held meetings with representatives of the academy and its sculpture department, headed by Prof. Aigars Bikše. The meetings focused on further opportunities for student and academic mobility, joint workshops, and collaborative artistic projects.

For the students of the Faculty of Arts, TUKE, Creative Iron Casting 2026 thus represented not only an international experience, but above all an intensive professional learning opportunity in metalworking technologies and an expansion of practical skills applicable to contemporary sculptural practice.