Fall 2025 Edition
Alumni & Friends Magazine
Peek Inside OHIO's Kilns
Explore the work of recent visiting ceramic artists.
Duane McDiarmid | October 13, 2025
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The inaugural ĢƵ University Atmospheric Conference in June featured an extraordinary demonstration of OHIO’s ’s unique capabilities: the simultaneous firing of nine atmospheric kilns to create dozens of unique pieces over one week.
“Few, if any, other institutions could achieve what is being done here,” Ben Eberle, one of the conference’s 10 visiting artists, said at the event. “I don’t think anywhere else in the profession [has OHIO’s] collection and diversity of kilns ... and this simultaneous firing of nine kilns at once is unprecedented.”
The atmospheric kilns in OHIO’s kiln yard reflect a wide array of cultural influences and technical approaches, making each firing an exploration of history, chemistry and artistry. Firing them simultaneously allows for side-by-side comparisons of methods and outcomes, turning the unloading of each kiln into a moment of shared insight and discovery.
“There’s an innate community-building aspect in atmospheric firing,” notes Sam McCall, MFA ’27. “It takes a village to fire these kilns.” He and Jason Wang, MFA ’25, developed the event with support from fellow students and University faculty and staff.
“In undergrad, having visiting artists come through was always super informative,” McCall adds. “Those were some really influential experiences of being able to talk and interact with those artists.”
Duane McDiarmid is the director of the School of Art + Design; Julia Weber, BS ’25, MAA ’26, contributed to this story. Photos by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
Explore recent work by the 10 artists who participated in the inaugural ĢƵ University Atmospheric Conference. Below are excerpts from artist statements and interviews with the artists, both of which have been edited for length and clarity.
I use black dandelions and grasses to represent self. Resilient, but delicate in nature, these weeds stand as symbols of how coming out changed my relationship with my parents. I like to represent the weeds in a stark silhouette, invoking feelings of seclusion and being misunderstood. Dandelions are defiant because, regardless of their environment, they prevail and blossom. Through my work, I seek to mirror my experiences with coming out with that of the stereotypical perspective on dandelions—transforming into a flower representative of resilience, adaptability and beauty.
Using a dark red clay adorned with a subtle slip surface, I strive to emphasize a sense of history with a more modern firing approach, revealing the raw beauty of the vessel underneath. Finishing the work in atmospheric kilns gives each piece a soft simple exterior, enhancing what already exists in the pot. These surfaces become gently kissed by the flame of the kiln and make tangible the undeniable beauty of process.
,MFA ’05
My work begins with the consideration of function, and the goal is for the form and surface of the pots to be integrated. Making the work starts with a three-dimensional division of space, continues with drawing on the surface, and finishes with the addition of color. Source information for my pots can be motivated by something as simple as looking at the patterns in the stacked bricks of my kiln to something as complex as the forms in 18th-century European manufactured silver.
I experience the evolution of my work through creative repetition in the studio. I am interested in having my work display both practical and extravagant attributes. I am drawn to work that is rich in ornamentation, with lavish use of materials—both scarce in a culture of mass production.
Like all ceramic artists, I have two processes: A method of making and a method of firing. I’m fortunate in that, at their core, both stem from a highly organic and intuitive way of working.
My forming technique is simultaneously controlling and loose. My firing process is the same. I work with wood blocks to imprint texture onto my freshly thrown pots. I then freehand the form from the inside out, stretching and altering the final shape until I like what I see.
I fire all my work in a wood-fired soda kiln. It is equally planned and open-ended, just like my pots. Each firing is different, but the premise remains the same. The fire path, the soda vapor and the ash that flies through the kiln create spontaneous surfaces that I have little control over. To me, that’s bonus money. Pots that are as unplanned as mine deserve an organic firing to finish them off.
, BA ’12, assistant professor of ceramics
I examine historical artifacts, nature, furniture, architecture and everyday objects to gain an understanding of what I need to make. I think about distillation, balance, utility, depth and variation when creating each piece. It is of the utmost importance that forms occupy space in a particular way but also enhance food, flowers or drink when in use.
My clays are dug locally in Athens County and then soda fired in a gas-powered kiln that is oxidation cooled. By placing different shapes next to one another in anticipation of the flame flowing through the kiln, highlighted marks, muted hues, and variation in color and depth are recorded on the surfaces.
The Sanskrit phrase vasudhaive kutumbakam (वसुधैव _कुटुम्बकम्) translates as “the whole world is a family.” In my practice, I search for the elemental that exemplifies the oneness among all sentient beings. The Golden Spiral and the hexagon form the nucleus of inspiration for this work.
The Golden Spiral (the logarithmic spiral created by the Golden Ratio) is present in nearly all forms of life and has been a source of inspiration for me. Through my exploration of platonic solids, I have also become particularly fascinated by the hexagon form. This form uses space in the most efficient way and is found throughout nature.
I combine various sizes of hexagons with multiple uses of the Fibonacci series to come up with the spiral. I use the process of coil building to create the hexagonal forms. These skeletal forms paint the surface of a slab of clay with fire. I associate these forms with shelter and community, which I am recreating in this continent with my continued interest to seek oneness with all living beings.
, MFA ’12
The more my work has evolved, the conceptual and technical ideas behind the piece are becoming more interwoven. In my role as a technician at Alfred, I have access to a lot of different processes and kilns and materials, and I’m always looking for ways to incorporate waste or to recycle material that would otherwise be thrown away. This piece is an exploration of the material—how can I reuse unwanted glaze material, clay material?
So that relates to the choice of firing. I fire both in wood kilns and also in soda and salt kilns. If I’m firing in a wood kiln, I’m looking for the interaction of the flame and the material, where in a soda or salt kiln, I’m really looking to highlight the material and the process of making.
The work that I’m firing in the soda and salt kilns is this reclaimed clay; I feel like those kilns really showcase the material. Any mark that you make on the clay—if there’s a line or a drag mark of a particulate in the clay body or a fingerprint—that can really come through. And I get a depth and brightness of color, a gloss that is not achievable in a wood kiln.
, MFA ’11
This wheel-thrown bottle represents a confluence of inspirations, including German salt glaze ware, Southern folk pottery and English ceramics production. It was side-fired on shells, without glaze, in a small catenary arch kiln. The surface is a product of the natural fly ash, which collects on the pot throughout the firing, and salt, which is introduced at the end of the firing. I and a team of students built the small catenary arch kiln at ĢƵ University to support my thesis research.
, MFA ’22
My work is about exploring my cultural validity, and then it’s adaptation. I believe culture and tradition are not static. And thinking of my individual aspect—what is my culture and tradition, and how can it move over time?
I’m originally from South Korea. When we are always removing ourselves from the environment, that’s when we have more attachments to it, so I have this fascination with Korean artifacts. I got lucky—I know this guy who has access to Korean artifacts, and he 3D scanned them for me. So this duck shape is an actual Korean artifact produced between the fourth and sixth century, during the Kaia Kingdom period. I have a 3D printer, so I printed it and made a molding using plaster so I could replicate it in clay. Then I scanned my face and did the same process—that’s me sitting on the duck.
When I was at ĢƵ University, I experimented with a lot of the atmospheric firing processes. But for this piece, I fired in the electric kiln. It’s the most stable firing process; you can pre-assume what the results will be. This piece has so many details that I wanted to preserve; that’s also why I decided to just glaze it with white, to show the structure itself.
I first create a base slab with a foot, then partially cut into it in three equidistant points. I then alter each section of the base to swoop up on one and down on the other. I add supporting slabs that fix it in place internally, slabs to create the inside of the bowl, and slabs to close off the outer walls. All of the slabs are given a curve using hump molds, then further shaped with ribs. I then use a reductive technique to reveal the form with a rasp and a collection of ribs to achieve its precise edges and curves.
I make these forms for the love of utilitarian pots, yet I am drawn to building sculpture and I enjoy the slow, methodical process that comes with slab building. I am attracted to the mass and volume of enclosed forms and how they interact with light, shadow and the hand. This piece creates an illusion of movement, which is a quality that I strive for in my designs.
, professor emeritus of ceramics
My work is informed by my interest in both historical and contemporary pottery. My ideas often examine utility; however, I feel my work can also function as a sculptural object. More recently, I have been exploring various styles of architecture. I find an interesting parallel between architecture and pottery: Like architecture, pottery deals with elements of form and structure, interior/exterior, utility or containment, surface detail and adornment.
Form is the most essential element in my work; secondary is developing surfaces that will enhance and support the form. I explore surface with continuous testing of ceramic materials, kiln design, kiln construction and firing.
Feature photo: displayed these and other pieces by the ĢƵ University Atmospheric Conference's visiting artists through early September. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
