Larry Hypes
Contributing Writer
RINER – Blacksburg and Auburn, two local Montgomery County high schools known for excellence under pressure, recently took that to a high level in a sizzling art project.
In what is called “raku” an oxygen-reducing firing process that takes glazed ceramics from a kiln where temperatures may reach 1,850 degrees Fahrenheit. While the ceramic pieces are still glowing hot, they are placed in a material such as sawdust or newsprint, which takes away the oxygen.
“Once we get to this step, we can use a trash can, place the lid on it, and allow the smoking process to ‘decorate’ the ceramic piece,” says AHS art department coordinator Dianna Hale. “A variety of effects including coloration – sometimes a kind of rainbow effect – but each piece is unique. Raku firing can produce a smoky finish or a metallic one, part of the interest is to discover just what the artistic effect will be.
Along with BHS art instructor Geoff Rowland, a college friend of Hale’s, where each took similar classes including the ceramics program, the schools decided on a collaborative effort to share experiences and enhance cooperative learning.
“We worked together on an ‘in-school’ field trip. Blacksburg took a van over to Auburn. We had lunch together and then the BHS students had to leave by 2:20 p.m. in order to be ready for dismissal at the end of our school day,” explained Hale. “At this time, Christiansburg does not have a ceramics class, or we would have had their students participate.”
Rowland and Hale plan to do a similar lesson in 2027 using Blacksburg High facilities.
“For this session, we at Auburn had the equipment and Geoff more expertise, so it worked out really well. We had volunteers from our classes sign up for this special project,” added Hale.
Mike Richards, an Auburn senior and member of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS), was a part of the project.
“This project was very interesting,” he said. “It is not a traditional art project and the process produces sometimes a rainbow sheen or a multi-colored effect, almost like an oil slick or it can be matte glossy. Some pieces are more of a metallic shine, but raku always provides a product that is aesthetically pleasing.”
Richards, who plans to enroll at Virginia Tech in the fall, hopes to come back and take part in the next raku collaboration between the two schools, a process that he felt was not only art education but a real opportunity to work with peers in the local community. Advanced students in the program have taken Art I-V, AP studio art, Ceramics I-II-III, and worked on a wide variety of skills in these courses.
