Richard Bresnahan: The Taste of the Clay

After spending nearly 4 years in Japan as an apprentice for the Nakazato Family, Richard Bresnahan returned to St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota with a wealth of pottery knowledge and skills. With the blessing of Father Michael Blecker and the Benedictine Monks at St. John’s, he set up a completely indigenous pottery studio, building the largest wood firing kiln of its kind in North America and utilizing a nearby clay deposit.
In September 2013, Richard and his team fired the Sister Johanna Becker kiln, named after his art history teacher and mentor, for the twelfth time. Preparations included seven weeks of loading, ten days of firing, a week of cooling, a week of unloading and nine months of cleaning. Richard’s wife Collette organizes the chefs and the dinners that serve up to 300 people. The firing is a community-building event with many volunteers returning year after year.
In the documentary, Richard talks about his pottery and the related philosophies that guide his life and his teaching.
“When you’re becoming an artist, especially working in a clay material, you’re having what we call tsuchi-aji; “tsuchi” means clay, “aji” means taste. You’re learning the taste of the clay. And so that’s a metaphor for your taking in your exterior environment into your interior environment. You’re developing a spirituality to your material.”
Production funding provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund and by the members of Prairie Public
About the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund
In 2008, Minnesota voters passed a landmark piece of legislation - the Minnesota Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment - which provided funding to public television stations serving audiences in Minnesota. Its mission is to help preserve and document the treasures of culture, history, and heritage that make Minnesota special, and to increase access to the natural and cultural resources we all share.

[@bmeerfeld]

Thank you Mr. Bresnahan!

[@DavidJohnson-dz8ym]

I worked this kiln with Richard, Colette and many of the others in the video for 6 firings in the early years. Once coming back from living in the UK to spend a week stoking. It was one of the most memorable and profound experiences of my life. My favorite was working the night shift and watching the flames shoot out the chimney between stoking. Early one morning a small family of white geese or swans circled the flames in the flame lit dark, That image will be with me till I die and am buried at St. John's. The pottery, the kiln, the people and the community that all these create is a testament to Richard's vision.

[@Critter145]

Firing a large wood-fired kiln is a lifetime experience. The way the flue vibrates the ground, the standing sheets of flame inside, the people. Its an amazing experience. I havent had a chance to see the Johanna Kiln, but I have fired with the University of Notre Dame and it was completely unforgettable.

[@klayvonisme]

We just met Richard today, spent some time with him over tea. I will not soon forget this truly amazing man. What a great honor this has been! I hope to be back, thank you Richard!!

[@sethechlin1264]

He is a very kind man

[@lh2o748]

Love it ! Watching pottery videos calm me down, it's the most appealling art to me ; thanks so much for putting it on youtube ☺

[@DanielSMatthews]

Thank you for sharing this knowledge.

[@daled8221]

Excellent video, I felt every bit of it! I love wood fired pots but have never done a wood firing, I'm only into cone 10 firing. Maybe when I retire in 3-4 years I'll be able to find a wood firing. A lot of lucky people in that group picture!!!

[@markanderson8677]

I have the good fortune of living relatively close to Saint John's and am able to visit Richard once or twice a year. Not only is he a truly thoughtful and skilled potter, he has the ability to relate to people he barely knows, on an almost spiritual level. Although I have never had the chance to participate in a firing, he is without a doubt among the finest American potters and an exceptional human being. The feeling of his work when you hold it in your hands is hard to describe . . . other than it is meant to be used. These vessels are truly made with thoughtful consideration and the best of intention. If you ever find yourself in the Collegeville area, stop in and have a cup of tea with one of the most fascinating people you will ever meet.

[@sharonkeef0522]

Wow only in a dream could I ever be able to have him teach me

[@BHClaysmith]

An unbelievable watch!

[@jacquiventurini8844]

I wish I could be part of this community making my art too! Heaven

[@chrisw5353]

Amazing work! I would love to visit the place one day, ,and working/ firing with them.

[@vibhabudhraja317]

Amazing

[@Lazarus-aap]

This is just beautiful... I really want to make my own pots and I am looking into how to make and bake them, but after seeing this, I gained a total new respect for the whole process! Thank you so much for making something pretty cool into something truly amazing and for giving me a higher appreciation for this extraordinary way of creating things with things found in nature! Thank you soo much! (Btw, if you're accepting apprentices, I would love to be one of them!)

[@thepatsyfamily]

Beautiful

[@clsybear]

Fabulous

[@DunoonVanRijn-dx1hr]

God changes us Forever. He Burns up our Sin and Welcomes us to our New Forever. Praise HIS Name Forever ❤

[@pidunate]

Absolutely wonderful ! Where was Anne Mette Hjortshøj?

[@hojoinhisarcher]

7 wed sep22

[@wolft2953]

so all this time, women weren't allowed in the kilns because it was MEN's problem all along? lol. I'm glad to hear Richard seeing things in a different way. I like that he incorporates aspects from culture to culture.

[@chadisan]

Just don't eat the clay Richard.

[@madambutterfly5069]

18:07 "I'll take care of your trees." 19:07 "[The forrester told us] ...where it would be best to cut 'em down."

[@stevenboyd593]

And they were downed with the greatest of care and live on in the building that lives on in that place, which will live on as an artistic community...so the man's wishes and dreams for this special place come to fruition

[@Kusunoky]

Looking at the property seems that he didnt cut all of them I think.

[@GuardiansGuide]

Actually, in the documentary “ Clay, Wood, Fire, Spirit: The Pottery of Richard Bresnehan”, Richard explains that they only cut down dead, dying, and diseased trees. The only living trees he has cut down, were the ones he needed to create the road to his home. He also stores the wood in a way that it will not rot away and uses it for heating his whole house through the frigid Minnesota winters. At any rate, you need to fell trees in order to promote a healthy forest and prevent wildfires. I could go on as his whole life revolves on preservation and ecology, but that is apparent to attentive observers of his work.

[@lh2o748]

Love it ! Watching pottery videos calm me down, it's the most appealling art to me ; thanks so much for putting it on youtube ☺