Fire and smoke will light up the November sky Thursday as students from Ohio University and Ohio State University come together to light Siegfred Hall’s outdoor kilns and celebrate their love of art.
The event, which will be a multi-day affair, will have participants create about 200 pieces of pottery in a wood-fired kiln from two of the top programs for ceramics in the U.S.
“(This creation) strengthens the connection between historic programs that are only 90 miles away from each other,” said Jonathan Fitz, a third-year student at OSU in the Master of Fine Arts program, in an email.
According to U.S. News and World Report, OU is ranked no. 5 and OSU is ranked no. 4 in ceramics programs.
Fitz, who completed his bachelor’s at OU, worked with Brad Schwieger, the OU ceramics chair and a professor at OU, to put the event together. About 10 artists signed up with OU to participate, as well as 12 from OSU.
OU has one of the largest outdoor kiln facilities in the U.S., which leads to people from all over coming to use it, Schwieger said.
The event, in part, will be a way for OU to thank OSU for allowing them to use a machine housed in Columbus.
“About eight months ago, a professor from OU came up to Columbus and used the CNC machine in our department since they did not have one at the time. Since they were able to use this tool, they offered us a chance to participate in a wood firing in Athens when the timing allowed,” Fitz said.
Shwieger said that OSU and OU have come together about two or three times during his time at OU for projects.
“The character and quality that (the wood firing) brings together is really exciting,” he said. “It’s competitive but kind of cohesive because our field is strong enough where we’re all on the same team and there’s something kind of nice about that.”
The team will be using wood to power the kilns instead of electricity, which leads to a different result in the pottery.
“As the wood burns and the ashes build up they begin to melt and create a glaze over the surface … a result that we are unable to achieve from our kilns at OSU,” Fitz said.
The OSU group will arrive Thursday morning. The artists will then fire up the kilns, load them and let them bake for 36 hours. During this time, there will be a rotating schedule of people feeding the fire.
The recent inclement weather should not be an issue, Schwieger said, adding that this weather is actually beneficial to wood-kiln firing because the artists will not be overwhelmed with heat.
The kiln will hit about 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit Friday, at which point the group will celebrate with food and drinks. After the pieces are fired, the group will wait for the pieces to cool for two to three days.
Although wood firing takes a long time, artists find the process rewarding and unique.
“The whole process is what's so beautiful to me,” said Mike Spellacy, a senior studying ceramics, in an email. “The labor involved, the intense surfaces and the luxurious romanticism of actually looking into the kiln when it's 2,000-plus degrees Fahrenheit and seeing the flames paint the work.”
Some of the art made in the kilns during the event will be in an art sale in early December, Schwieger said.
eb104010@ohiou.edu
