WoodStoke Pottery and Kiln Festival Returns
The Gulf Coast Kiln Walk (GCKW) Society is taking their annual walk through history for the 21st WoodStoke Pottery and Kiln Festival.
The WoodStoke Pottery and Kiln Festival is an annual event hosted by the GCKW Society. The festival celebrates the culture surrounding the ceramic arts and traditional woodfired pottery by unloading historic kilns alongside local and national ceramic artists and selling unique artwork.
Attendees are invited to watch—and even participate in—the kiln unloading, buy handmade pottery from more than 30 potters and enjoy homemade food courtesy of the Navarre Beach Area Garden Club.
“The festival is a display of the culmination of weeks of collective work by a dedicated community of clay artists,” Pensacola State College (PSC) Assistant Professor of Art (ceramics) Micah Cain said. “The firing is truly a collaborative effort from artists, students and volunteers that all contribute to loading, maintaining and tending the kiln.”
As a participating GCKW artist, Cain actively supports PSC student involvement, working side by side with his students as they load the kilns and rotate through shifts during the multi-day firing process.
“I always enjoy the opportunity to bring PSC students to take part in the Kiln Walk’s annual wood firings,” Cain said. “For many, it is their first encounter with this traditional firing method, making the experience especially meaningful. Additionally, engaging with the broader community of artists and potters reinforces the value of collaboration within our regional arts community.”
While the festival is free to attend, event-goers are encouraged to explore a variety of ceramic art pieces on sale by the potters in attendance.
“We just started, in the last 10 years, setting up so that the participating artists can have their own booth and tables for their art,” co-owner of Holley Hill Pottery and founding member of the GCKW Society Brenda Stokes said. “At a designated time, all the artists can go collect their pieces and bring them to the table. Attendees can write their name and number on a piece of painters tape and stick it on the pieces they are interested in. That puts it in the artists’ hands to contact interested parties about the sales.”
A limited number of commemorative bowls and mugs will be available for a $20 donation, which includes the chance to sample seafood, chili and other specialty dishes prepared by members of the Navarre Beach Area Garden Club, one of the event’s many sponsors.
Members of the public are invited to help the potters unload the 32-foot wood-fire kiln, passing freshly fired pieces hand to hand to awaiting tables where attendees can browse the pottery for sale and connect with the artists.
“The opening of the kiln is an especially meaningful moment,” Cain said. “Students, fellow artists and members of the community gather for the reveal of the finished work. Sharing in the collective excitement as each unique piece emerges from the kiln and is passed among those present is one of the most rewarding aspects of the annual firings and festival.”
All proceeds from the WoodStoke Festival support the new ceramic art center to be constructed adjacent to the historical kilns. Holley Hill Pottery owners Brenda, Marty and Jason Stokes deeded one acre of their property to the GCKW Society to begin construction on the building.
“The center will be a place where anyone can come and take lessons,” Stokes explained. “We’re going to gear lessons toward elementary age and beyond so that anyone can take art classes.”
The GCKW Society focuses on wood fire kilns over gas or electric due to the environmental benefits.
“We’re going to focus on beginning wood fire kilns, which are easier to operate,” Stokes explained. “Beyond that, we have four different ways of firing pottery here, from Raku to salt to soda to wood fire. That’s why we call it the Kiln Walks, because you can walk through the history of different kilns.”
The center will be a public learning center for the arts, and it will be open to allow artists to come in and work at their own pace while offering lessons to anyone who is interested.
“The [GCKW Society] offers opportunities for learning, mentorship, and artistic growth for me as well as for PSC students,” Cain said. “The festival is a celebration of shared labor, tradition and the vibrant ceramics community that makes it all possible.”
The 21st annual WoodStoke Festival will be held on February 14 from 9 am to 3 pm at Holley Hill Pottery, located at 7507 Buckeye Dr. in Navarre. The festival is open to all ages, and there is no cost to attend.
For more information about the GCKW Society and its annual WoodStoke Pottery and Kiln Festival, visit gulfcoastkilnwalk.org or check out @GulfCoastKilnWalk on Facebook.
