We’re hosting potter Lisa Orr on campus this week to build a quick-firing kiln that is fueled with wood (but not a wood-fired kiln!). With a few easy-to-source materials, this is a kiln that anyone can build in their backyard which fires pots to high temperatures in only a few hours. Lisa will be presenting a talk on Friday, September 6th at 5pm, demonstrating the kiln and providing instructional handouts.
Location: Main Campus. Look for Craigardan Event sign at the end of Main Campus driveway (two “doors” west of the farm store, towards Keene). Google Maps Link
Lisa Orr completed an MFA at The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1992. She has been awarded a Fulbright and National Endowment for the Arts fellowship through Mid-America Arts Alliance. Orr taught high school ceramics in Austin, Texas, and travels extensively for lectures and workshops. She creates low-fire pottery intended for use in everyday life. Though rooted in the deep history of ceramics, her forms are fluid and often gently asymmetrical—a combination of the clay’s natural expression and her own inspiration in the moment. Her slip work and relief decorations along with her rich colors suggest images of sky, coral reef, or flowers in bloom. The work is a riot of color, energy, memories, and emotion, all of which come together to create a finished work that is cohesive and confident.