When you hear the name Skutt KM-1227 Single Phase Electric, do you think of a high-end blender? The newest lie-detector technology?
Would you believe a state-of-the-art precision pottery kiln with about 10 cubic feet of loading capacity? It’s the new pride of the Eagledale Pottery Studio, delivered on January 10. The kiln will be used for bisque firing, which is the initial firing of clay before it is glazed.
The kiln previously used at the studio is over ten years old and has a broken lid. When staff realized that replacing the lid and a few other outdated elements would cost more than the purchase of a new kiln, they began the search for a replacement. They included $1,000 in the budget for the kiln, held a student art sale in December that raised almost $500, searched the Internet to find the most affordable price, and approached the Bainbridge Island Parks Foundation to request a matching grant. The total for the capital project was $4,300, $2,800 of which was awarded by BIPF.
The spring lid kiln in the renovated studio with Matt from Clay Art Center and Eagledale instructor Jay Stemmler.
A fire in 2009 damaged the firing shed and gas kiln. Between classes over the summer, studio staff upgraded the building, rebuilding the inside of the studio, scrubbing walls, sealing ceilings with new drywall, adding shelving, and painting. So the new kiln has been set up in new digs.
Since 1979 the Eagledale Studio has been owned and managed by Bainbridge Island Metro Park and Recreation District. It serves the needs of Bainbridge Islanders and many residents of the entire county of all ages who attend classes and workshops there, mastering hand building, wheel throwing, sculpture, raku firings, and gas firings.
In 2011, 477 students attended the Eagledale Studio, an increase of 47 percent over 2010. Last year also saw an increase of 71 percent in youth registration.
Sue Hylen, the Arts & Cultural Manager for the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Rec District, described her personal vision for the Arts and Culture Program as giving “every person in our community and in the surrounding areas the chance to experience . . . the feeling one gets when one creates a piece of art, something that comes out from inside in the form of a thrown pot, a dance, a painting, a poem or photograph, that feeling that makes each day a little more alive and positive.” She added that the Eagledale Pottery Studio promotes this experience for the nearly 500 people who attend in a year.
To sign up for a winter or spring pottery class, visit www.biparks.org or call 206-842-2306 #116.
