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Experience one of Arkansas’s most dramatic and time-honored pottery traditions when the Ozark Folk Center hosts the 23rd Annual Groundhog Kiln Pottery Wood Firing, Wednesday, November 4, through Saturday, November 7, in the Craft Village. The public is invited to observe the firing of the 100-cubic-foot traditional groundhog kiln, a rare wood-fired kiln style once common across Arkansas. Firing begins on Wednesday and continues for 27 to 30 continuous hours, as potters carefully stoke the kiln around the clock. During this process, two to three cords of wood are gradually fed into the firebox, with temperatures monitored every 20 minutes to achieve the intense heat required for stoneware. In the final hours, visitors may see towering flames shooting from the kiln’s flue—an unforgettable sight.After firing, the kiln cools for two days. On Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the kiln will be opened and unloaded, revealing the finished pottery. This unloading day marks the official opening of the kiln and offers a rare opportunity to see the results of this labor-intensive process firsthand.
Ozark Folk Center demonstrating potters John Perry and Judi Munn have been creating pottery for the firing throughout the summer and will begin loading the kiln in late August. They will be joined by several potters from across the region during both the loading and firing phases.
The Ozark Folk Center’s groundhog kiln was built in 2002 by Perry and Munn, with assistance from Lowell Baker, ceramics professor at the University of Alabama, and many dedicated volunteers. Construction was supported in part by an Arkansas Heritage grant.
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Ozark Folk Center State Park, 1028 Park Ave, Mountain View, AR 72560-6008, United States
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