Raku Firings
On an unseasonably warm day last week, students in Tim McAullife's ceramics classes took part in an in-school field trip unlike anything else—raku firings! Mr. McAuliffe set up the kiln behind the facilities barn overlooking College Pond, in collaboration with school administrators, facilities, and the Danvers Fire Department. In the days leading up to the raku firings, students learned about the history of raku, watched videos of the firings, and threw and glazed pieces in preparation. Then, the 10 students of McAuliffe’s Ceramics 2 and Honors Ceramics Studio classes spent the day firing, burning, watching, and waiting.
First developed in Japan in the 1500s, raku refers to a technique used to make traditional tea ceremony pottery. In the early 20th century, the technique made its way to England, where it stayed until the 1940s and ’50s, when it was brought to the West Coast of the United States. There, potters developed an incredible new step—placing the piece in a reduction chamber after firing it in the kiln—to produce a truly stunning effect, a sort of burnt, cracked, metallurgic magic.
Read MoreFirst developed in Japan in the 1500s, raku refers to a technique used to make traditional tea ceremony pottery. In the early 20th century, the technique made its way to England, where it stayed until the 1940s and ’50s, when it was brought to the West Coast of the United States. There, potters developed an incredible new step—placing the piece in a reduction chamber after firing it in the kiln—to produce a truly stunning effect, a sort of burnt, cracked, metallurgic magic.
