FSUS Students visit LeMoyne Arts for Raku Firing!

On Wednesday, February 12th, a group of advanced sculpture students from Florida State University School (FSUS) will spend the day at the beautifully renovated Rockwood Ceramics Pavilion at LeMoyne Arts. While this will be a new experience for these particular students, it will be the 10th year that sculpture students from FSUS have spent the day on LeMoyne’s campus using the open-air facility. LeMoyne Arts is dedicated to supporting local art educators and enriching the experiences of student artists and is happy to open the campus for a day full of art making. Also supporting this year’s FSUS student raku firing by covering the expense of propane and glazes is an educational grant from COCA (Council on Culture and the Arts) and sponsorship from the Florida State University School PTSA.

FSUS students first visited LeMoyne Arts for a smoke firing in 2016 with local artist Mary Donahue and Nancy Jefferson, starting this tradition of annual alternative firings. This year students will participate in a raku firing, which originated in the late 16th Century in Japan. The “Americanized” version produces results that while somewhat controlled, allow for changes in surface color that are not always predictable.

This year’s raku firing is anticipating a few guests. Ashton Davis, a graduate student from the FSU College of Education, who will graduate in May with her master’s degree in art education, Akshar and Krishna Patel, sibling potters from Baum Road Studio and slated to join the day’s firing.

Both Krishna and Akshar were introduced to the raku process at FSUS, graduated from the school with successful AP 3D portfolios. The pair have been very involved with LeMoyne over the years, and their participation in this firing brings everything full circle.

For more information, please contact LeMoyne Arts Education Director, Kylie Nerney (education@lemoyne.org | 850.222.8800)