University of the Ozarks’ ceramic art students Sydney Roberts and Lauryn Hamilton had the rare opportunity recently to participate in firing an anagama (single-chambered) wood kiln.
Earlier this month, the students traveled with Assistant Professor of Art Brandy Green-Russell to the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Ala., to join UM faculty and students as well as other guest artists from around the country to fire the 40-foot-long, traditional Japanese wood-fired kiln that had been dormant for the past three years.
The kiln, built by a UM art professor in 2002, is one of the few of its kind in the country.
“Wood kilns build a layer of ash onto the surface of ceramic sculptures and pottery that has an added effect to the surface/glazes as the ash melts,” Green-Russell said. “However, wood kilns take constant supervision and are usually fired by a community. Artists from around Alabama, Arkansas, and Taiwan came together to fire University of Montevallo’s anagama kiln.”
For 100 continuous hours, the kiln was not left unattended. Members of the group took shifts watching the kiln for four hours at a time. Over the course of the firing, the temperature inside the kiln climbed to over 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
“The kiln was an amazing experience,” Roberts said. “I learned so much about the ceramic’s community and the beautiful history of kilns. I’m so glad to have been able to have to opportunity to be part of something so special.”
Montevallo’s firing was held in conjunction with the first World Fire, a display of international diplomacy as wood kilns throughout the U.S. and China were firing simultaneously and broadcasting to one another. The goal was to highlight unique traditions and techniques that are special to various regions while showing the commonality of loving this special firing process.