Big Magic: A Community of Woodfired Potters

Big Magic: A Community of Woodfired Potters celebrates the extraordinary collaboration behind one of ceramics’ most demanding and rewarding processes. Named for Big Magic, the 30-foot-long wood-fired kiln built by Danny Meisinger and Brian Horsch, the exhibition showcases work created through a week-long firing that depends on teamwork, trust, and dedication.

More than a dozen artists work together to load, fire, and unload the kiln, feeding wood into the fire every few minutes around the clock as temperatures reach 2,400 degrees. The process forges more than pottery; it builds community. Experienced potters and emerging artists work side by side, sharing knowledge, labor and anticipation. The process demands trust, teamwork, and dedication, with each participant sharing responsibility for hundreds of pieces. The result is a collection of one-of-a-kind works shaped by fire, ash, time, and a little bit of magic.

“A creative life is an amplified life. It’s a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life.” – Elizabeth Gilbert, from her book, Big Magic