Safe Stokes: A Queer Woodfire Ceramics Workshop with Katie Applebaum — Feb 16 - 23

Dates: February 16, 2025 → February 23, 2025
Times: All day. Students will take 6 hour shifts.
Level: All levels

Workshop Description:
Queer? interested in woodfire but find it too bro-y? Come to the Mendocino coast to load and fire our train and wood-soda kiln. Katie Applebaum will guide students through loading and firing both kilns. Participants will get hands-on experience and develop an understanding of loading and firing strategies for these particular kilns- with plenty of one-on-one instruction within the safety of the queer community.

This workshop will be a deep dive into the wood firing process. As we load and fire the kilns, students will learn about slips and glazes appropriate for these types of firings. participants will get hands on experience loading their own work and assisting each other through the process. they will learn how to "read" the ques of the kilns. they will learn how to mix and introduce the soda atmosphere into the catenary kiln, all within the safety of their own community.

Each student may bring up to 5cu/ft of cone 10 bisqueware to fire in the kilns(the final amount will be determined after registration is closed). Students will rotate shifts stoking the kiln. On the last day of the workshop we will unload the kiln, discuss the results, and celebrate the experience before packing up and bidding farewell.

About the Instructor:
Katie Applebaum is from Paradise California, a small town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. She graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts, with a minor in Environmental Science and Sustainability, from California State University at Chico. There she was nominated for the Windgate Foundation Grant in fall of 2019. Her work is a synthesis of multiple materials, primarily ceramic and metal. In 2022 Katie completed a ceramic woodfire residency term at Cub Creek Foundation, where she became Assistant to the Director. Katie has worked in multiple galleries, from large universities, to small local non profits. Most recently she has completed a residency here at Mendocino art center in 2023 and has been retained as a full time staff member.

“In my work I like to replicate forms that bring to mind different memories for each individual. The objects I choose to glorify or replicate are often antique. I feel the variable conditions of atmospheric firing plays well with these “antique“ forms, as age and patina are often variable. I fixate on hardware, fixtures and details.”

Required Materials:

• Up to 5 cu/ft of bisqueware made from cone 10 clay—varied heights
• Mask/Respirator for cleaning posts/shelves, and for introducing soda into the kilns
• Notebook for glaze and firing notes
• Closed toed shoes, non-synthetic long sleeve shirts and pants
• Leather work gloves
• Kiln glasses (optional)