The Saint John’s Pottery’s Johanna Kiln has long drawn much-deserved national acclaim.
But it is not the only kiln in the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University communities.
The Sister Dennis Kiln, located on the CSB campus, was built by art professor Samuel Johnson in 2012 and is fired each fall and spring – featuring ceramics work from CSB and SJU students and other guest artists.
The latest firing got underway Wednesday (Oct. 15) and ran through Saturday (Oct. 18). In addition to creating the work, students load the wood-fired kiln and take turns staffing it around the clock while the firing is underway.
“It’s completely experiential learning,” Johnson said. “This is a really hands-on process for our students. They become intimately involved in the entire process of creating this work.
“The firing runs about 85 hours or so and our students are out here around the clock tending the fire, (be it at) 2 in the afternoon or 2 in the morning. So not only do they get a first-hand look at everything that goes into a firing. They also learn how to work on a big collaborative project. They’re partnered with professional artists who come from very skilled and mature backgrounds in the field of art. Which means they get to have direct conversations with people in a field some of them are very interested in going into.”
This most recent firing featured work from two sections of Beginning Ceramics classes and one section of intermediate-level students. In all, work from about 35 students and nine guest artists was represented.
Some of the work will go to be displayed at the annual senior art majors exhibition on campus in the spring.
“It’s super cool to be able to get so hands-on every step of the way,” said CSB sophomore Claire Linn, a nursing student who is also exploring her passion for art. “We each sign up for two shifts. I always sign up for one during the day and one at night because the night shifts are the most fun.
“When you’re able to go through everything from start to finish, it just makes you feel even more connected to the pieces you create.”
