New Lenox Sculptor's Metal Piece Pays Tribute To 'Trades And Sweat' Behind Chicago Skyline

NEW LENOX, IL — A New Lenox-based metal artist and custom fabricator has brought the working-class legacy of Chicago's iconic skyline to life.

Ron Dyrcz, of Ronders Wood & Metal Works, brings his fine art sculpture "The Stockyard Crown" for display at FABTECH 2026, in Las Vegas. The event is America's premier metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing show.

Born and raised in New Lenox, Dyrcz now operates Ronders Wood & Metal Works there, specializing in narrative-driven metal art and custom fabrication. Blending heavy industrial technique with fine art craftsmanship, the shop turns raw steel, scrap, and regional history into physical monuments honoring the grit of the American working class.

"Before Chicago's skyline scraped the clouds, it was forged by physical labor, heavy trade, and shared survival," Dyrcz described.

The piece will be prominently displayed on the show floor within the exclusive Metal Artist Collective Booth (Booth S12104), bringing a visceral piece of Chicago history straight to the heart of the nation's largest manufacturing gathering.

In the early 20th century, stockyard laborers took the discarded cuts of meat that industry left behind and used heat, spices, and time to stretch a meal into a feast for neighbors, weddings, and wakes. They turned raw necessity into legendary culture.

The Stockyard Crown, rising from an architectural base that pays homage to Chicago's steel infrastructure, a calloused hand forged in metal lifts a humble neighborhood staple into a monument. It is a tribute to the trades, the sweat behind the build, and the enduring soul of the working class.

Ron Dyrcz, Ronders Wood & Metal Works

"The Stockyard Crown" stands as a monumental tribute to the trades and the sweat behind the build. It honors the early 20th-century stockyard laborers who took the discarded cuts of meat left behind by industry and used heat, spice, and time to stretch a meal into a feast for neighbors, transforming raw industrial necessity into legendary culture.

"Metal isn't just a medium for building structures; it's an archive of human labor," said Dyrcz. "Taking part in the Metal Artist Collective at FABTECH in Las Vegas gives us a platform to put blue-collar heritage front and center on a national stage. This sculpture is for the trades, the grit, and the enduring heartbeat of the working class."

Event Details

• What: FABTECH 2026 – Metal Artist Collective Booth S12104
• Where: Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
• When: October 21–23

Attendees, media, and fellow fabricators attending FABTECH are invited to stop by Booth S12104 to view "The Stockyard Crown" and connect with the maker behind the steel.