There’s something extraordinary about watching a piece of artwork emerge from a kiln glowing red-hot, only to be placed moments later into a container of combustible materials. Smoke rises, flames flicker, and students watch as the chemistry of the firing transforms the surfaces of their ceramic work.

For Ellis students enrolled in Advanced Clayworks, AP 3D Art & Design, and 3D Portfolio, the annual raku firing is more than an opportunity to experiment with a different ceramic technique. It’s a hands-on lesson in creativity, chemistry, collaboration, and the value of taking calculated risks.

A longstanding Ellis tradition, the event takes place in partnership with our neighbors at Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media, providing students access to a specialized firing process that would be difficult to replicate with the kilns and glazes used on campus.

Raku is a ceramic firing technique that originated in Japan and has been adapted in the West to include a distinctive post-firing reduction process. During the firing, students remove their ceramic pieces from the kiln while the glaze is still molten and quickly place them into combustible materials. As the materials ignite, they create a reduction atmosphere that interacts with the cooling glaze, producing distinctive and often unpredictable surface effects.

For Peter Barbor, Ellis Middle and Upper School Visual Arts Teacher and Visual Arts Department Chair, this process offers an especially exciting opportunity to connect artistic practice with scientific exploration.

"We are literally seeing chemistry happen across the surface of our ceramics within the span of an afternoon," Barbor explains.

Students observe firsthand how heat, oxygen, glaze materials, and the firing environment influence the final appearance of their work. Some areas may experience heavy reduction, while others may oxidize, creating variations that are difficult to predict entirely.

"There is no substitute for learning about these aspects of clay and glaze beyond experiencing them in person," Barbor says.

Throughout the process, students are challenged to approach their work with curiosity, flexibility, and care. Peter encourages students to create sculptural pieces for the annual firing, which often means moving large, unconventional, and sometimes unwieldy artwork through a process that demands precision and teamwork.

The experience requires students to take calculated risks while remaining mindful of their own safety and the delicate work of their classmates. And because the chemistry of raku can produce unexpected results, students must also learn to let go of the idea that every outcome can be controlled.

That unpredictability is part of the learning.

After each firing, students have the opportunity to examine their pieces, interpret the results, and consider the choices that contributed to their final appearance. It's an exercise in observation and reflection that encourages them to think critically about their artistic decisions and what they might approach differently next time.

Beyond the technical skills and artistic discoveries, the annual raku firing creates a shared experience that strengthens students' sense of community and belonging in the clay studio.

Students work alongside one another, look out for each other's artwork, and celebrate the surprises that emerge from each firing. For Peter, seeing that collaboration unfold is one of the most rewarding parts of the tradition.

He also values the opportunity for students to return to the experience year after year. Students who take Advanced Clayworks from 10th through 12th grade may participate in as many as three raku firings, giving them opportunities to revisit the process with greater experience and confidence.

Each year, Peter looks forward to seeing returning students take bigger creative risks, refine their glazing techniques, and articulate how their artistic goals have evolved since their previous firing.

"I often think that a typical K–12 education neglects to include significant moments of revision as part of the process," he reflects. The annual raku firing gives students the chance to revisit an experience, learn from what came before, and approach their next creation with a fresh perspective.

For Peter Barbor, raku represents much of what makes the Ellis visual arts experience distinctive. Students are introduced to an advanced ceramic process that many artists don't encounter until college or adulthood, while developing a deeper understanding of both their craft and themselves.

And while the experience involves literal fire, smoke, and plenty of excitement, it also calls on students to demonstrate confidence, preparation, collaboration, and trust in one another.

"Our Ellis students are living the motto when they succeed in moving glowing red-hot work straight from the kiln into a combustible bin of sawdust and fire," Peter says.

He is especially proud of how students show up for one another, carefully coordinating their movements and supporting their classmates through a process that is as exhilarating as it is demanding.

Raku is elemental. It asks students to work with the natural forces that shape their materials, embrace uncertainty, and discover what can happen when they are willing to take a risk.

And that's where some of the most meaningful learning happens.