Haystack school gets grant to build new kilns

DEER ISLE – Haystack Mountain School of Crafts has received a $12,500 grant from the Davis Foundation to build three new kilns. Two will be 40-cubic-foot combination oxidation-reduction kilns, and one will be a 40-cubic-foot soda vapor kiln. New burners and safety systems will be included in the construction project.

“Our oldest kiln is 20 years old,” said Stuart Kestenbaum, director of the school. “All have been showing signs of deterioration, making them inadequate to provide the flexibility in firing techniques demanded by contemporary ceramics.”