Tabor Academy Installs the First Blaauw Kiln in MA

Claying down roots

Without an elixir of oil paints and rare pigment pairings, Van Gogh could not have made “Starry Night.” Without a camera mounted on his ship, Neil Armstrong could not have captured his crewmate Buzz Aldrin standing on the moon. And without a kiln, a ceramicist is limited in what they can create. Tabor's strategic vision recognizes that proper equipment, ample resources, and modern facilities play an integral role in delivering the best possible educational experience for students. As such, Braitmayer—Tabor’s building for visual arts—has officially become home to a new state-of-the-art Blaauw kiln, the first of its kind to be installed in Massachusetts.

Manufactured in Amsterdam and custom-built for Tabor, the addition to campus was over a half-decade in the making. On Friday, November 15, 2024, Ceramics Teacher Kevin Arnfield opened the doors to the Ceramics Studio, and, over cake, the community celebrated the approval from state inspectors to begin using the new technology. He welcomed students, faculty, and staff to get a closer look at the new kiln, which, he remarks, “will certainly inspire a ceramic renaissance in our community.”

A kiln allows for efficient firing of pottery and the Blaauw takes this one step further—in terms of safety, productivity, energy consumption, durability, user friendliness, and automation. At the opening celebration, students emphasized their excitement about how much faster their work will be completed. In fact, according to Blaauw’s website, “Within 10-16 hours after having pressed ‘start’ you can already open the kiln.” Using a fraction of the fuel, “…one Blaauw pottery kiln produces the same amount of work as three standard electric kilns or two conventional gas kilns.” Because it consumes on average half the natural gas that competitor kilns do, Arnfield says the Blaauw is “the greenest option available.”

Some of the safety features of the Blaauw include no exposed flame, automatic heat and gas sensors that shut it off if a problem arises, and minimal heat transfer through the body of the kiln. “In fact,” exclaims Arnfield, “the kiln exterior can be touched when the kiln is at a high temperature of 2400 degrees Fahrenheit!” Those firing their art can even control the temperature, and temperature distribution, of the kiln using a computer panel on its side. This feature allows Arnfield and students to program the kiln for specific needs, like the ratio of fuel to oxygen. With this upgrade, they can more accurately fire technically difficult pottery glazes.

Arnfield explains, “This accuracy was revealed when we completed the first test firing of the Blaauw and fired cups that were all coated with the same elusive red Chinese glaze, called ‘Ox Blood.’ In our prior gas-fired kiln this glaze might have turned red in certain parts, but it was very inconsistent based on the inconsistency of the gas to air ratio throughout the firing chamber.  The Ox Blood test cups fired in the Blaauw all turned beautifully red everywhere they were placed in the kiln.”

This purchase would not have been made possible without the generosity of Shosuke Idemitsu ’52, Tabor’s first graduate from Japan. A longtime supporter of the arts and humanities at both Tabor and beyond, the Blaauw was not Idemitsu’s first contribution to Tabor’s studio. In 2002, he gifted the school its first gas-fired kiln, a groundbreaking development for the program at the time.

Arnfield emphasizes that Idemitsu’s philanthropic support to Tabor has helped integrate the rich history of ceramics into the curriculum, making these global advancements accessible to students. He says, “Prior to this gift, we fired in electric kilns only, to low temperature, using only earthenware clays. Most of the world's great historical ceramic traditions were established using combustion firings, not electric firings.  The gift of the gas-fired kiln in 2002 allowed us to look at historical achievements and traditions in world ceramics and to also study them accurately and authentically with a kiln more akin to the historical kilns.”

Idemitsu's involvement was not limited to just monetary gifts but also included personal engagement and active participation in the Tabor community. Prior to his passing, he met with Kentaro Suzuki ’24, the 2024 Purchase Prize recipient for his outstanding work in ceramics. In addition to his fervent support of the arts at Tabor, Idemitsu was also the director of the Idemitsu Museum in Tokyo, which houses his family’s extensive collection of Japanese paintings, calligraphies, and East Asian ceramics. An amateur ceramicist himself, Idemitsu’s daughter gave two of his pieces to Arnfield during a visit this past summer, while his grandchildren participated in Tabor Summer Camp.

Sadly, Idemitsu was unable to see the Blaauw kiln gain its final State approval for use, but it now stands as a testament to his enduring legacy, leaving a lasting impact on many generations of Tabor students to come.