Nakamagama - The New Community Kiln
NAKAMAGAMA: NHPG Community Wood Fire Kiln
In 2011 the NH Potters Guild built a 16’x32' post and beam kiln shed to house the small historic wood kiln of potter Gerry Williams and a larger wood kiln of mostly used components. Enthusiasm was contagious and firings increased from two or three to five per year. There were potlucks, work days, camping, and swims in the nearby pond. A strong sense of community developed around this old kiln and the stunning 171-acre tree farm on which it sits. By 2020 the kiln was clearly deteriorating.
Old Community kiln
During the summer of 2023 our dedicated rotating crew cut hemlock posts and oak beams and
doubled the kiln shed to 16’x64'. In late May 2024 we tore down the old kiln. Construction of
the new kiln took all summer under Eric’s and Belinda’s direction, with major commitments by
Lydia Grey, Al Jaeger, Barbara Sorce, Kurt Heinzman, and many others. Rebecca Hillman, professional
cook and potter, organized magnificent potlucks featuring the likes of poached salmon and
chocolate mousse cake. The finished kiln is 27' long with a rise of 9' from the lowest fire ports to
the base of the chimney.
A group of 28 potters loaded and fired the new kiln in early September2024, aptly named
Nakamagama, which means community kiln in Japanese. Over the course of the firing, which
took four days and 4-5 cords of pine and oak slabs, we discovered Nakamagama to be
predictable, understandable, and controllable. After a week of cooling, we unloaded 876 mostly
spectacular pots and sculpture.
Since 2010 NH Potters Guild’s wood kilns and the organization’s collaborative spirit have drawn
woodfire potters to Deerfield, NH, about 26 miles inland from Portsmouth and the seacoast.
The land, from its cultivated fields and garden to its ledgy forest and pond, is tended with deep
care and protected under Bear-Paw Regional Greenways land trust, with the provision that the
NH Potters Guild has use forever of its kiln and appropriate surrounding land for wood
preparation, storage, and parking.
The NH Potters Guild continues to honor its roots in fellowship, collaboration and encouragement while celebrating the art of wood firing and community in this unique and cherished place.
Exhibits and sales of work by guild members, generously managed by Kelley Stelling Contemporary, were held in the field in 2021, 2023, and 2024, brought in hundreds(!) of clay aficionados and jumpstarted fundraising for extending the existing shed and building the new kiln. Eric Maglio and Belinda Bodnar designed our large anagama and smaller catenary arch kiln to fire together or separately.
