St. John’s Pottery Preparing Johanna Kiln For New Firing

(KNSI) – North America’s largest kiln is warming up.

The Johanna Kiln at St. John’s Pottery in Collegeville will be fired for the 17th time Friday. Director Richard Bresnahan designed and built the massive oven with a team of apprentices in 1995.

It is turned on roughly every two years. Able to fit 12,000 pieces of pottery and sculptures, the wood-fueled structure takes over two months to load properly before it burns.

The works were made by 30 artists from 13 states and several countries this year. The kiln is heated for 10 days, requiring attention from 60 different people to ensure it continues to bake the pottery. Once it is turned off, it’s sealed with clay and cools for two weeks.

Friday’s ceremony is a ritual of its own, similar to what would take place in Japan. The kiln is purified with rice, salt, and sake and then lit with a hand-made torch.

Three people are set to be honored at the event. Bill Smith was a former professor who Bresnahan studied under. Mary Lee Neu and Raghavan Iyer have both helped prepare food for the ritual over the years.

It will take place at 4:00 p.m. and is open to the public. A meal follows at 5:00.

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