The St. John’s Pottery Studio invites the public to the 2015 lighting ceremony for the largest wood-burning kiln in North America.

The firing of the Johanna Kiln is the result of nearly two years of planning. Local clay and glaze materials are prepared, and firewood is gathered from the St. John’s Abbey Arboretum. Designed and built by Master Potter and Artist-in-Residence Richard Bresnahan, the kiln can hold up to 12,000 works of pottery and sculpture.

The lighting event begins 3 p.m. on Friday, October 16, and the kiln firing continues through Sunday, October 25. Several large crews will maintain the fires over the 10-day period and artists from around the world will visit to add their pieces.

The event is held in honor of Francis Schellinger, a local wood artist who helped discover the large deposit of clay in 1979 that the studio uses for pottery and sculpture. Schellinger passed away in 2014.