The mine and processing plant responsible for Hydrocal, a specialty plaster fundamental to the sculpting processes for artworks, architectural restoration projects, dental molds, orthopedic molds, and prosthetic-limb customization, is ceasing operation by the end of November.
The New York Times reports that the USG Corporation, a leading manufacturer of gypsum products such as Hydrocal, announced in July that it would close its Oklahoma factory and lay off its staff of 250 because of the “escalating complexity and cost to mine and manufacture the specialized products in the portfolio.”
Heather Rowe, head of the sculpture department at the Rhode Island School of Design, told the Times that “artists are freaking out.” With a limited time to stock up on existing supplies of the material, artists are scrambling to find alternatives, but so far no one has a solution.
“Artists and smaller studios depend on materials that are also used by much larger industries, so changes in supply can have a significant impact,” Nate Bozeman, a ceramics technician at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, told the Times. “Finding an alternative isn’t always straightforward, as different plasters behave differently and need to be tested.”