BIPOC Cone 10 Soda Firing / Workshop
I am so excited to offer what I hope will be the 1st of many Annual Soda Firing for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) participants. This Cone 10 firing will be led by Will Jenkins Abraham, and featuring Dwayne Sackey as the Visiting Artist from Portland OR. Scroll to the bottom of this page to learn more about Dwayne.
Schedule / Timing
The main event will be Fri 9/8 - Sun 9/10. The timing of this program works so you should be able to create pieces for the firing during the Summer class session if you are a current student here. The firing / workshop will take place the weekend between class sessions. You are welcome to participate even if you do not plan to return for the Fall class session or if you are not a current student or member at Burnish.
To reserve your space in this Firing & Workshop, complete the form at the bottom of this page. A very detailed email will be sent with more information and instructions on clay bodies to use and making work for soda firing to those who sign up.
Why are we having a BIPOC firing / workshop?
With all the hate and terrible things continuing to happen in this world, it is more important than ever to create protected pockets of joy wherever we can - the goal is to make this soda firing / workshop one of those joyful pockets for people who routinely face barriers of entry to the arts. Some of those barriers are financial, and some of those barriers are tied other systems of oppression.
Who may sign up for this program?
This program is open to anyone who works with clay (including newer students) and who identify as a race or ethnicity other than white. We will not gate-keep how you self-identify - we recognize that it can be complicated.
Cost and What's Included
This firing and associated workshop is free for the participants.
So what exactly is soda firing?
While language and labels people use for their art matter, to simplify things and keep this short (too late), in the details about this event below I refer to all objects made from clay as pots or pottery. This is not intended to discourage sculptors from participating, and sculpture looks incredible when soda fired!
Soda firing falls under the category of atmospheric firing because the atmosphere of the kiln during the firing process has a significant and direct impact on the final surfaces of the piece. Atmospheric firings rely heavily on the relationship between the other pieces adjacent to each pot, placement in the kiln, and the careful management of the heat, oxygen level, and materials added into the fire. It is a great metaphor for how individuals are so reliant on the people and the atmosphere they surround themselves with and how it has an impact on their lives.
What is the soda firing process?
- We will load the pots into the kiln carefully, with a focus on how to stack pots together so that they can work collectively to bring out the best surface possible in each piece.
- We will then bring the heat up in the kiln slowly to allow for the different changes at the chemical and molecular levels needed to transform the clay into a stone-like matrix.
- Once the kiln is close to the peak temperature, we will add the magic fairy dust into the fire in the form of baking soda & soda ash. The soda is mixed with calcium carbonate to form a plaster-like mud pile that dries into crumbly chunks that get rolled into newsprint like a burrito.
- The soda burritos are then tossed into the fire box of the kiln, right by the burners. As the burritos break down, the soda vaporizes and flows through the kiln with the draft of the flames towards the chimney. At that temperature, the pots are all hot and slightly melty enough to be sticky so the soda vapors will stick to the pots.
- Once the kiln starts to cool off, the soda will harden into a thin sheet of glass that forms a glaze on the surface of the pots.
What is the plan/schedule for the BIPOC Firing / workshop?
All activities outlined below are optional. If you have a scheduling conflict for any part of it and/or you want to treat this the way we do a regular community soda firing without attending any of the group activities, then you are welcome to do so. You would just need to have your glazed pots on the shelf in the kiln yard by end of day Friday 9/8.
Friday 8/4, Noon: Assist with unloading the next Cone 10 Community Soda firing so that you can see finished pieces as they come out of the kiln. This will help you understand the mechanics of the firing process and how the loading and wadding impacts pieces. We will discuss the pieces - what was successful and what was not. The focus will be on how to make work that can be most successful in a soda firing - covering details about shapes, sizes, finishing details like feet, planning for wadding, decorating, glazing, etc. This information will be applicable to both wheel throwers and hand builders.
You will then have 4 more weeks to make pieces. Pieces must be DRY and ready to load into bisque kiln by the end of day Tuesday 9/5 if you are bisque firing at Burnish.
Friday 9/8 6PM-9PM: Group glazing session. Dwayne will demonstrate how he glazes work for soda firing as well as showing samples of finished pieces with his glazes that he will be sharing with us. Will and/or Heather will also talk about the Burnish studio glazes as well as Flashing Slips that can be applied to bisque ware.
Saturday 9/9 10AM-5PM: Loading Soda Kiln. If you want to help with the loading you will sign up for one 2 hour shift - you will not need to be at the loading all day. Each shift of 2-3 participants will help complete one of the 3 stacks in the kiln. You will help roll wadding, glue wads to pots, and bring posts and shelves over to the kiln.
Sunday 9/10: Firing all day + Workshop. Most of the firing process is sitting around watching numbers crawl up the pyrometer (kiln thermometer) and nudging the gas lever up and down bit by bit - it is even less thrilling than it sounds.
Schedule / Timing
The main event will be Fri 9/8 - Sun 9/10. The timing of this program works so you should be able to create pieces for the firing during the Summer class session if you are a current student here. The firing / workshop will take place the weekend between class sessions. You are welcome to participate even if you do not plan to return for the Fall class session or if you are not a current student or member at Burnish.
To reserve your space in this Firing & Workshop, complete the form at the bottom of this page. A very detailed email will be sent with more information and instructions on clay bodies to use and making work for soda firing to those who sign up.
Why are we having a BIPOC firing / workshop?
With all the hate and terrible things continuing to happen in this world, it is more important than ever to create protected pockets of joy wherever we can - the goal is to make this soda firing / workshop one of those joyful pockets for people who routinely face barriers of entry to the arts. Some of those barriers are financial, and some of those barriers are tied other systems of oppression.
Who may sign up for this program?
This program is open to anyone who works with clay (including newer students) and who identify as a race or ethnicity other than white. We will not gate-keep how you self-identify - we recognize that it can be complicated.
Cost and What's Included
This firing and associated workshop is free for the participants.
- Each participant may bring one half cubic foot of bisque ware made from Cone 10 clay. For a frame of reference, one clay box with the flaps folded down is one half cubic foot. When you fill out the form below, you can specify whether you want more space if it is available.
- Since the shape and size of the pieces delivered will directly influence how many pieces fit into the firing we cannot guarantee all of your work will go in. We will do our best to ensure we get in as many pieces as we can.
- The program does not include clay or studio access to make work. If you need assistance covering those costs then speak with Heather and I will see if we have sufficient funding to assist.
- The program does include the utilization of the Burnish glazes and the glazes Dwayne will be sharing with us.
- You are welcome to purchase clay at Burnish, but you are not required to do so. We have 4 clay bodies available in the studio that are beautiful in Cone 10 Soda: Welmer porcelain, OH Woodfire stoneware, Dakota Yellow (similar to SMY) and Oregon White stoneware.
So what exactly is soda firing?
While language and labels people use for their art matter, to simplify things and keep this short (too late), in the details about this event below I refer to all objects made from clay as pots or pottery. This is not intended to discourage sculptors from participating, and sculpture looks incredible when soda fired!
Soda firing falls under the category of atmospheric firing because the atmosphere of the kiln during the firing process has a significant and direct impact on the final surfaces of the piece. Atmospheric firings rely heavily on the relationship between the other pieces adjacent to each pot, placement in the kiln, and the careful management of the heat, oxygen level, and materials added into the fire. It is a great metaphor for how individuals are so reliant on the people and the atmosphere they surround themselves with and how it has an impact on their lives.
What is the soda firing process?
- We will load the pots into the kiln carefully, with a focus on how to stack pots together so that they can work collectively to bring out the best surface possible in each piece.
- We will then bring the heat up in the kiln slowly to allow for the different changes at the chemical and molecular levels needed to transform the clay into a stone-like matrix.
- Once the kiln is close to the peak temperature, we will add the magic fairy dust into the fire in the form of baking soda & soda ash. The soda is mixed with calcium carbonate to form a plaster-like mud pile that dries into crumbly chunks that get rolled into newsprint like a burrito.
- The soda burritos are then tossed into the fire box of the kiln, right by the burners. As the burritos break down, the soda vaporizes and flows through the kiln with the draft of the flames towards the chimney. At that temperature, the pots are all hot and slightly melty enough to be sticky so the soda vapors will stick to the pots.
- Once the kiln starts to cool off, the soda will harden into a thin sheet of glass that forms a glaze on the surface of the pots.
What is the plan/schedule for the BIPOC Firing / workshop?
All activities outlined below are optional. If you have a scheduling conflict for any part of it and/or you want to treat this the way we do a regular community soda firing without attending any of the group activities, then you are welcome to do so. You would just need to have your glazed pots on the shelf in the kiln yard by end of day Friday 9/8.
Friday 8/4, Noon: Assist with unloading the next Cone 10 Community Soda firing so that you can see finished pieces as they come out of the kiln. This will help you understand the mechanics of the firing process and how the loading and wadding impacts pieces. We will discuss the pieces - what was successful and what was not. The focus will be on how to make work that can be most successful in a soda firing - covering details about shapes, sizes, finishing details like feet, planning for wadding, decorating, glazing, etc. This information will be applicable to both wheel throwers and hand builders.
You will then have 4 more weeks to make pieces. Pieces must be DRY and ready to load into bisque kiln by the end of day Tuesday 9/5 if you are bisque firing at Burnish.
Friday 9/8 6PM-9PM: Group glazing session. Dwayne will demonstrate how he glazes work for soda firing as well as showing samples of finished pieces with his glazes that he will be sharing with us. Will and/or Heather will also talk about the Burnish studio glazes as well as Flashing Slips that can be applied to bisque ware.
Saturday 9/9 10AM-5PM: Loading Soda Kiln. If you want to help with the loading you will sign up for one 2 hour shift - you will not need to be at the loading all day. Each shift of 2-3 participants will help complete one of the 3 stacks in the kiln. You will help roll wadding, glue wads to pots, and bring posts and shelves over to the kiln.
Sunday 9/10: Firing all day + Workshop. Most of the firing process is sitting around watching numbers crawl up the pyrometer (kiln thermometer) and nudging the gas lever up and down bit by bit - it is even less thrilling than it sounds.
- Starting at about Noon it will get a lot more fun as we move into the Workshop part of things. Dwayne will be demonstrating how he makes his faceted tea bowls thrown off the hump on the wheel, how to make large slab-built platters, and how to pull and attach handles. Participants will then be able to practice making those forms with Dwayne's guidance.
- The exciting part of the firing will happen in the late afternoon/early evening when it is time to make the soda burritos and toss them in the kiln. Bring some food to share and spend the evening hanging out in the studio and around the kiln yard, getting to know the rest of the group.
Dwayne Sackey
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I do not aim for “flawlessness” – my work leaves a trace of a fluid, organic process and a human set of hands.
Windswept trees, cold blue bodies of water, and lichen covered granite boulders intrigue and inform my artistic palette. Gentle curves, textured surfaces, and meandering lines speak through my art. Atmosphere, expressive brush strokes, and simple glazes mimic the timelessness of nature. Sackey earned his BFA from Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2019. Merit-based scholarships supported him: the Gregori Jakovina & Larry McDonald Scholarship, the Ellice T. Johnston Scholarship, and the OCAC Community College Scholarship. In 2019 Sackey showed at the Multnomah County Justice Center & in 2021 he showed at the governor’s mansion. Sackey was a recipient of the 2021 studio potter grant for apprenticeship alongside his mentor Chris Baskin. Sackey published 3 articles in pottery making illustrated, one in 2021 & two in 2023. Sackey taught a workshop at clay by the bay in 2022 and demonstrated at NCECA in 2022. www.dwaynesackey.com Instagram: @dwaynespots |
These are examples of Dwayne's work, primarily fired in a wood + soda kiln. While we can expect some of these types of surfaces in our soda firing, our results will not be quite the same.
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