The ULM Art Department received something that has been on the minds of professors and students alike for the past few years: a brand-new kiln.
The kiln, used for firing ceramics, was purchased from Geil Kilns at a total cost of around $38,000.
It is designed to replace the old kiln that the university has been using since 1981.
Ceramics teachers can now monitor it’s firing cycles from their desks because the kiln is complete computerized and can duplicate what would seem like a perfect ceramics firing.
Gary Ratcliffe, a ceramics professor at ULM, is elated about the new kiln.
“It will fire smoother and more evenly than the last kiln we had,” Ratcliffe said.
“It’s computerized down to the last detail, leaving us with a quicker, smoother and better firing than the old one. We’re really excited about it.”
To many art students, the kiln means that their firings and pottery will look more even.
This will result in less wasted pottery and more display pieces to show off to friends.
The new kiln means a sleeker product for students’ hard work.
Heat is insulated better than the last kiln, thanks to fiber ceramics, which results in more even heat distribution.
‘The old one was dangerous because if an arch would happen to fail on the kiln while someone was with it, tons of heat would be sent out of the sides,” said Ratcliffe.
The old kiln has been discarded, having been turned into scrap metal.
