MONUMETAL REFORGED 2026
CALL FOR ARTISTS
Found Object Scrap Metal Sculpture Competition
Downtown Bryan, Texas
Exhibition during the Downtown Bryan Street & Art Fair
MonuMetal began as a bold experiment — artists digging through piles of iron, transforming industrial remnants into monumental public art.
In 2026, it returns — reforged.
We are inviting artists, welders, fabricators, and creative teams to participate in a revived celebration of material, muscle, and imagination.
HOW IT WORKS
Applications Open: February 2026
Selected teams will gather in early March at
Bryan Iron & Metal
for an organized scrap collection event.
From there:
Teams will fabricate their sculptures independently in their own studios or shops.
Completed works must be delivered to The Kimbell Building by April 20, 2026.
All sculptures will be publicly exhibited throughout the full weekend of the Downtown Bryan Street & Art Fair.
This is industrial poetry made visible — right in the heart of downtown.
MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS
Ferrous metals only (scrap iron)
No copper, brass, aluminum, or high-value resale materials
Work must be structurally sound for outdoor public display
MonuMetal celebrates transformation — not commodity value.
SIZE & HANDLING REQUIREMENTS
To ensure safe installation and equitable participation:
Maximum weight: 500 pounds
Sculpture must be able to be safely moved using a pallet jack
Base must allow fork or pallet access
Artists are responsible for safe transport and delivery
If it can’t move on a pallet jack, it’s too big.
AUCTION & ARTIST SHARE
All sculptures will be auctioned during the festival weekend.
50% of the final sale price will return directly to the artist/team
50% supports event production and future Kimbell programming
A People’s Favorite Award will also be presented.
This structure honors both sustainability and artist equity.
WHY MONUMETAL?
Exhibit during one of Downtown Bryan’s largest arts weekends
Showcase your work to collectors and thousands of visitors
Reclaim industrial material as cultural expression
Be part of the return of a legacy event
MonuMetal is not just about scrap metal.
It’s about what a community can build when industry and art shake hands.
MONUMETAL REFORGED 2026
CALL FOR BLACKSMITHING DEMONSTRATORS
Live Demonstrations – April 26, 2026
The Kimbell Building | Downtown Bryan
Alongside the monumental sculpture exhibition, MonuMetal Reforged will feature live blacksmithing demonstrations — honoring the craft traditions that shaped our region.
We are inviting experienced blacksmiths to demonstrate:
Forging techniques
Tool making
Decorative and functional ironwork
Educational demonstrations for the public
Demonstrators will work in collaboration with regional smiths and invited partners, including Steephollow Forgeworks.
IMPORTANT DISTINCTION
The monumental sculptures exhibited during the Downtown Bryan Street & Art Fair are created in advance by selected teams.
The blacksmithing portion is live, educational, and experiential — bringing fire, hammer, and anvil into direct public view.
WHY PARTICIPATE?
Showcase heritage craft in a high-visibility arts setting
Engage directly with the public
Inspire the next generation of makers
Be part of the revival of a signature Downtown Bryan event
MonuMetal Reforged stands at the intersection of industry, artistry, and place.
It is muscle and memory.
It is heat and history.
It is Downtown Bryan, made visible in iron.
We ❤️ Our Community!
We can’t think of a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to put up a play about the importance of place and the people in it.
We will have 4 showings of the show in our upstairs theatre space. We hope you can join us. Tickets to the show can be found here.
Show Information
The residents of the town of Bethel are facing a quiet but devastating crisis: their beloved park has been sold out from under them, unraveling not just a place, but a shared sense of belonging. In nine interconnected vignettes, sixteen locals confront the ripple effects of loss of jobs, homes, relationships, and certainty while discovering unexpected moments of love, courage, humor, and forgiveness. Over the course of a single day, as the park magically moves through all four seasons, lives intersect and transform.
From a weary security guard desperate to get home to her children, to a young mayor overwhelmed by responsibility, to a nostalgic fisherman who can’t seem to catch anything anymore, each character stumbles, adapts, and finds their footing again. Bethel Park Falls is ultimately a story about resilience and about the irreplaceable role shared spaces play in holding communities together.
These themes lie at the very heart of the Kimbell building’s mission. Like the park at the center of the play, the Kimbell exists as a gathering place where stories, cultures, and generations intersect where loss can be acknowledged, creativity can flourish, and connection can be rebuilt. By hosting Bethel Park Falls, the Kimbell reinforces its commitment to preserving spaces that foster empathy, dialogue, and renewal. The play becomes more than a performance; it becomes a reflection of the Kimbell itself; a living room for the community, where people come together to remember who they are, and who they can become, together.
