The Juniata Art Department welcomed back JHS Alumnus Todd Tabb as this year's Artist in Residence. Tabb, potter of Hometown Pottery, brought his clay experience to each of Juniata's art students with demonstrations on the potter's wheel, instruction in hand-building, and unique firing techniques. 

To conclude our residency, Todd led the classes in several Raku Firings.  Raku pottery is a specific firing process that orginated in Japan to prepare ceramics for tea ceremonies. Glazed pots were heated in an outdoor kiln to 1800 degrees. They were then removed while red-hot and placed into cans of combustable materials and enclosed to reduce oxygen. The raw clay blackened and copper glazed areas changed to a rainbow of colors. Other hot pots were treated with alternate techniques such as Obvara, submerging heated pots into a yeast solution, or singeing horsehair or feathers onto the surface.

Watch the video to see the students' amazing results.