Galleries : Ready, Aim, Fire
By Peter Kirn
Published: June 5, 2008
An exhausted Scott Campbell steps back from the buzz of activity that surrounds the four cast iron doors of the huge kiln. "It's like a paradise," he laughs, and it is clear what he means. Students tend the fire - Walker Roman, Mike Colter, Jeff McIssac, Micah Thanhauser, Ethan Valenti - and holler when they feel the deep rumble of the updraft that feeds the flames and pumps smoke out of the chimney. The students sound proud as they take turns pointing out that it can be seen from the road.
Featherstone Center for the Arts in Oak Bluffs, usually secluded and serene, is alive with drama and communal activity. Situated outside on a hill is the 15-year-old cylindrical kiln roaring with heat. It is about five and a half feet in diameter and six feet tall, its chimney rising approximately 10-feet. The structure is impressive, full of character with its cracked bricks, imperfect cement, and on this night, its contents of over 200 ceramic pieces crafted by high school students from Mr. Campbell's ceramic classes. He and his wife Ruth, a long-time Island teacher, have been organizing this annual year-end event for the past 12 years.
Photo by Ralph Stewart
It begins with loading the raw ceramic pieces in the kiln, a skilled process Mr. Campbell calls "an education in balance and foresight." Shelves made of super heat-resistant clay are balanced on stilts inside the kiln, one shelf for each piece of pottery. Enough space must be allotted between shelves so that heat in the kiln can flow freely. Ice salts, sea salt, and copper bits are added to color the pottery inside the kiln, each lending a distinctive hue and finish. The method of open firing allows for fluctuations to occur that Mr. Campbell describes as producing "incredible matte finishes or glossy landscapes of visually interesting pottery." The goal, he says, is "a magical balance of the form of the piece and the fit of the glaze."
Students who have been tending the kiln for two days and nights in shifts will continue monitoring it non-stop until their artwork is finally baked and removed on June 5. All are welcome to participate in the watch, although there is a core group of around 20 students camping on the site, tending the kiln as they have for two days as it heats up, and when it has finished, waiting for the four days it will take to cool down. Then they will retrieve the finished ceramics and sculptures, figures and vessels that they began creating months ago.
Photo by Ralph Stewart
The group functions as a cohesive unit. Having already collected the four or five cords of wood from felled and fallen trees around the Island to fuel the fire inside the kiln, they work at splitting wood, feeding the flames, and striving to reach the 2,350 degrees required to transform the Island-found clay pieces into finished artwork.
Mr. Campbell says that while the event is about the clay and the kiln, there is something even more important happening - something memorable and meaningful. The students create their own unique event, complete with an old davenport that was brought over from the high school drama club, entertainment and catering service.
The students, along with the Campbells, bring food for everyone. Local musician Rick Bausman arrives with several sets of drums and leads a drum circle. People play music and sing, and although all the students -Alison Roberts and Colleen Campbell (the Campbells' daughter) among them - are working, Featherstone takes on a party atmosphere. Everything down to the doors of the kiln is subject to the creative energy of the students. Student Ethan Valenti explains that the giant kiln doors, according to each quirky feature, have been named after "Seinfeld" characters: Jerry is the most popular, Kramer, the most unpredictable, George the most temperamental.
Photo courtesy of Scott Campbell
There is a palpable air of community and mutual respect. Kate Mahoney, together with the other students in attendance, swears by the wisdom and good nature of Mr. Campbell. (One student says, "There is a Facebook group called 'Scott Campbell is the Wisest Man I Know'").
The teacher enjoys the fun-loving spirit of the event. Last year included costumes, burgers that were cooked on the metal part of the kiln, and philosophical discussions that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. The event has inspired students to spend their first week of summer vacation hauling wood and postponing a week of summer-job pay. It has also prompted past kiln attendees to return to see the tradition carried on.
Flames roar out of the chimney, looking like a four-foot flare from a jet engine, and there is a sense of progress. Micah Thanhauser explains, "It's great to see the pots, but there is a real satisfaction in getting it so hot."
Photo courtesy of Scott Campbell
Asked about this plateau in the procedure, Mr. Campbell replies that the real sense of success and arrival comes from realizing "Everyone is learning and gaining something from being here." He continues, "The students work so hard, and that allows us to build this myth, but it only stays alive because they work together at it. It becomes sort of a community of clay."
Student artwork at Featherstone Center for the Arts will be removed from the kiln and unveiled on June 5.
Peter Kirn is a graduate of Colby College, and a long-time seasonal resident living in Edgartown.
