The Saint John's Pottery celebrating 35th anniversary with open houses June 27-28
June 23, 2014
The Saint John's Pottery is celebrating its 35th anniversary with two events during SJU Alumni, Family and Friends Weekend June 27-28.
The 35th anniversary will be marked during a small gathering from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Friday, June 27, at the Pottery Studio. Space is limited, and those interested in attending should RSVP to JoAnn Matheny at 320-363-2592 or [email protected].
All guests to campus are welcome to visit the Pottery Studio on from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28, for a public anniversary open house. Refreshments and studio tours will be provided throughout the day.
The Saint John's Pottery was founded in 1979 by Master Potter and Artist-in-Residence Richard Bresnahan, and has grown to include apprenticeship and emerging artist programming. Bresnahan, a 1976 graduate of Saint John's University, studied with art historian S. Johanna Becker, OSB, while a student at SJU, and spent his senior year in college and three years after that in Karatsu, Japan, as an apprentice with Takashi Nakazato.
The Saint John's Pottery, located in Saint Joseph Hall on the western edge of the SJU campus, operates the Johanna Kiln, named after S. Johanna. It is the largest wood-fired kiln of its kind in North America (measuring 87 feet long), and is typically fired in the fall. Its 37-foot-long backpressure tunnel is widely acknowledged as the first of its design.
The studio also incorporates clay indigenous to the Saint John's area, and uses natural and recycled materials wherever possible.