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The Harvard Ceramics Program lives in the heart of Allston on Barry’s Corner. Affiliated with the Office for the Arts at Harvard, the program runs for three semesters every year, offering educational opportunities, artistic events, and workshops to Harvard affiliates and greater Boston residents. In this photo essay, Crimson photographer Lotem L. Loeb goes behind the scenes at the program, documenting its creative explorations and the stories of its artists.

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Entering the ceramics studio, we are greeted by a vast ground floor filled with pottery wheels, storage spaces, and a booming creative energy.

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On a busy day in the program, 12 students from a soda firing class unload the kiln and prepare for its next round of firing. Soda firing involves introducing sodium oxide into a hot kiln, which produces unique and dramatic patterns via atmospheric firing.

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As part of the preparation, Jamie M. Stamme sands off excess sodium oxide on the kiln disks. To ensure proper ventilation and safety, she wears a mask and sands the objects just outside the kiln room.

Other students of the soda firing class prepare the slabs to return to the kiln by lathering them with the sodium oxide mixture. Once dry, these slabs will be placed into the kiln along with the soda firing bricks and disks.

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Tom K. Hubbard, an interdisciplinary artist who teaches the class, describes his deep appreciation for soda firing while admiring the freshly-fired pieces. He credits the beauty of each piece to the uniqueness and unpredictability of each firing.

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As we move further into the studio, Joe Zina showcases his freshly glazed worms in the glazing room. When asked why he chose to craft worms, he playfully remarks “why not!”

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On the main floor, Auds H. Jenkins trims a dry pot by using wet clay to secure the pot and slowly revolves the pottery wheel. Trimming a pot is essential to refining the finished clay body and removing excess clay.

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In one of the smaller clay rooms, staff member Ashot Gheridian hand-builds a piece by carefully sculpting and melding each piece together. He uses the colloquial “scratch and attach” method by scratching the clay at the point of attachment and adding a touch of water.

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Tucked away in the hidden materials room, a pugmill sits open after processing a fresh batch of clay. Lined along the wall are bags of raw materials, while bins filled with wet and reclaimed clay await their turn in the machine, where they’re mixed and reconditioned for future use.

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Along the main walkway, students and staff members unload pieces from previous firings onto shelves in preparation for the Spring Show and Sale. The Sale will feature work from 99 ceramic artists, from instructors to undergraduates, from May 8 to May 11.

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Stopping by his fired pottery section, James C. Glaser ‘25 describes his creative process for soda firing pots, bowls, and teapots. Some of his favorite glazes to use include vegas red and peters black, due to their striking colors and unique textures.

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In the back of the building, the atmospheric soda kiln awaits the next firing. Each round of firing, the kiln reaches 2350–2500°F which allows the soda to vaporize and react with the clay silica, crafting a unique spotted glaze.

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On the second floor of the building, Communications and Events Coordinator Darah Bowden walks us through the storage spaces and ‘boneyard’ of old ceramic pieces by visiting artists.

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Light streams into the back glazing room, where shelves of fired porcelain and earthenware await glazing. The storage of these pieces is categorized by material and creation method. In its 55th year of operation, the Ceramics Program has evolved through spaces, materials, and methods but still champions the mission of creativity, leadership, and education.