Our Biggest Event of the Year: Multi Kiln Opening Celebration 2019

Our Biggest Event of the Year: Multi Kiln Opening Celebration 2019

Our biggest day of the year is almost here, Saturday, October 12, 2019, 11am-4pm. Kilns are being loaded all around the studio, and this is the only time of year when having 13 kilns becomes a challenge. We’re talking deadlines, calendars, clay drying, and more. It is a beautiful dance of potters with pots in process. Enjoy a few images and videos of just some of the things you can expect at our Multi Kiln Opening Celebration, and plan to join us on 10/12!

Yesterday, I loaded the Kazegama, our wood ash kiln, with bottles, sculptures and more. It was a lovely, sunny day with my wonderful team, George (my hubby) and Leonora Lev, a new student, clay enthusiast and now friend. We worked in perfect harmony and loaded the kiln with a seamless ease.


George screening the wood ash we will need for this firing.

We had our inaugural firing of the portable, Rolland downdraft gas kiln last week. What a beautiful kiln and wonderful team. I plan to fire and unload her again next week for our event. 

In this video you see Judi Harwood and others loading a mummy saggar firing. You can hear her and her team having a great time loading the tumble stacked mummy saggars. Are you intrigued? Judi will be unloading mummy saggar pots at 11 am on our big day and later that day she will be demonstrating horsehair firing with Melanie Robertson.

Judi and company loading mummy saggars into the Raku kiln.

Tori Motyl has been busy digging, processing and making pots. She uses  clay discovered in her yard in Burnsville. On our big day, Tori will have everything from small raw clay pumpkins to large pots fired in electric kilns with thick slips and monochromatic colors of grey and white. 

Julia Mann is working on her Elemental ladies for our “Women of Influence” exhibition that opens in the gallery on the same day.

Julia Mann’s Elemental Series

The flurry of activity around the studio is sure to make our celebration a great day! So, in honor of all our supporters we are planning an exquisite give away drawing the day of the festivities. Every resident potter is giving a piece from their body of work, in total seven pieces, to be given to one winner of our drawing. Here’s a sneak peek at the pieces in the gift.

Our courtyard and the back parking lot of Riverview Station will be filled with tents for all the festivities, and we will have three demonstration stations. Under tents you will find pots created by us in every firing technique from alternative firings, oxidation, reduction, raw clay, and wood ash firings. If you don’t know what these are now, you can learn about them at the Multi-Kiln Opening!

Bring the family, plan to spend the day and take home some wonderful pots. We have chairs but you might want to bring one along.

I hope to see you here!

Sarah Wells Rolland

The Village Potters Clay Center/Founder and Owner