Raku is a pottery firing technique dating back to sixteenth-century Japan. The glazed clay is removed from a kiln at approximately 1800 degrees, placed in a pit containing combustible materials, and tightly covered. This procedure reduces the oxygen in the chamber, creating interesting and unique effects in the pottery's glaze, according to Kate Champa, a Rhode Island Raku artist.

Yesterday, Champa and Marguerite Hall, another Rhode Island Raku artist, worked with the students at Coventry High on Raku pottery as part of the Art Talk program.

Through an Art Talk grant from the Rhode Island Council of the Arts, students at Coventry High School were able to work with local artists on different projects.

Coventry High School had five visiting artists, said Linda Caparrelli, an art teacher at the school.

"The students learned so much. We are so grateful," Caparrelli said. "The students learned directly from a film maker, a puppeteer, a hip hop group, a figure expert from Trinity, and the Raku artists. They really appreciated everything they learned."

Teachers from Coventry High School participated in the Council of the Arts Art Talk series, which took place on several Saturdays, Caparrelli said.

Arts Talk provides students and educators an opportunity to work with professionals from three of Rhode Island's major cultural institutions - Trinity Repertory Theatre, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. Students visit and learn on-site at these cultural institutions, and professionals from these arts organizations visit the schools, Caparrelli said.

"Arts Talk provides experiences that the kids won't get anywhere else," Caparrelli said. "They learn directly from local professional artists."

Students gathered outside Coventry High School yesterday for the Raku firings. Suburban Propane, in Coventry, donated the propane to operate the kiln, Caparrelli said.

"It was such a cool experience," said Jackie Kittz, a sophomore at Coventry High School. "It was amazing to experience that kind of heat. It was a really nice learning experience."

"I learned a lot," added sophomore Joseph Moreau. "It was very hands-on, and that is how I like to learn. The artists were very nice and they were a great help to us."

Champa said Raku is a great form of art for students to learn because it requires them to work together. One student has to watch the kiln, students must use tongs to transfer the pottery from the kiln to the reduction chamber, and students must pour woodchips in the chamber.

"It is something that all potters love to do and it is quite hard to do," Champa said. "It is a great art to teach students. It is the type of artwork where you get instant gratification. You can see the amazing work of the heat as soon as they come out of the reduction chamber. You can't find anything better. Students get to be outside making beautiful stuff and working together."