Facilities

When Saint John's Pottery began the basement of St. Joseph Hall, a red brick dormitory constructed in 1904, became home to the Pottery Studio. The adjoining underground root cellars provided the ideal location and climate for drying and storing pottery. A nearby garage became the site for the first wood burning kiln built at Saint John's. Using waste materials from various power plants and donated materials from various companies, volunteers constructed a forty foot, five-chamber wood burning kiln that served the Pottery Program until 1992.

Just prior to 1990, a series of events took place at Saint John's that dramatically altered the future course of the Pottery Program.  In response to a longstanding need, the University decided to construct a student center on campus.  The site selected for the new building was Saint Joseph Hall, the location of the Pottery Studio and kiln.  After a period of discernment, Br. Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, President of the University the relocation of Joe Hall and the rebuilding of the pottery at a new campus location.  Both the Abbey and the Saint John's Board of Regents approved the recommendations.  This was a defining moment for the Pottery Program that cemented its long-term future at Saint John's.

In 1991, the last firing took place in the old kiln.  That summer, Joe Hall was raised and moved 800 yards to the western edge of campus, next to the Saint John's Art Center.  The building was set on a newly constructed foundation, which was designed by architect James Dean to house the new Pottery Studio.  The new site enabled the Program to expand into improved facilities and to incorporate several environmentally sound methods and technologies. 

The first improvement was a clay processing system that uses recycled water to wash clay.  This new system saves thousands of gallons of drinkable water and serves as an environmental laboratory for students in the new Environmental Studies major program at Saint John's and Saint Benedict’s. A new clay processing system was installed using a pneumatic diaphragm pump this eliminates the use of electricity, utilizing compressed air from the powerhouse.

Similarly, the studio features a computer controlled gas kiln that makes for more efficient firings, which in turn saves energy. The online computer system allows students in the various science departments to retrieve information relating to energy consumption and exhaust emissions and analyze it.  Saint John's Pottery is the first program in the United States to address issues of energy consumption and exhaust emissions during the firing process.  This integration of science and creativity is unique to both academic and production pottery programs. The Studio uses energy efficient lighting and includes a shipping room where cardboard and Styrofoam from the campus are recycled and used to pack and ship pottery.

The construction of the largest wood burning kiln in North America began in the spring of 1992 and was completed two years later.  Located across the road from the Pottery Studio -- on the banks of Lake Watab -- the new kiln is unique in size, design and function.  Composed of three chambers, the kiln is 87 feet long, 6 feet 8 inches high, 6 feet wide and has a capacity of 1,600 cubic feet.  A kiln of this size enables forklifts to enter the front and back and allows, for the first time in the U.S., the wood firing of large-scale sculptures. It was built primarily with recycled materials from the old kiln reflecting the program's ongoing commitment to sustainability and to the wise use of natural resources. Named after S. Johanna Becker, OSB, the new kiln was dedicated on October 12, 1994.