“Groundhog” style wood/soda kiln

Cone 10

Load/Fire: August 29 – 31

Unload: September 5

This workshop will be centered in the fundamental firing techniques of our North Carolina style groundhog kiln and span three days of firing focused on natural ash surfaces and ember bed effects. We will be firing in a classic cone 10 to 13 temperature range with a hard shut down to encourage matte, ashy, and ember-rich surfaces.

Day 1 – Students will arrive at the Morean Center for Clay at 9:30am, Dakota-Joan will give an artist talk and discuss with the group the overarching firing goals. We will spend the day discussing glazing and loading strategies as we load the kiln together. On this day we will set the firing schedule and shifts for the remaining workshop time.

Day 2/3 – Students will work together during their agreed upon shifts to fire the groundhog kiln. On these shifts they will learn the details of monitoring the kiln, managing the coal bed and wood stoking patterns. Dakota will be available for hands-on teaching at the beginning of most shifts for demonstration of safe practices and shift expectations. It is recommended that students are present for the final shift in order to learn about kiln shut down. Post shutdown, kiln will need to cool for several days. 

Day 4 – Unload ! Students arrive at the Morean at 10am, unload the kiln, take part in a retrospective discussion and clean the kiln. Additionally, Dakota-Joan will demonstrate her methods for cleaning and finishing the fired work.