The BLAAUW Kiln at Medalta. (Photo Courtesy Ross Lavigne)

By Chris Brown

$16,000 cost

Medalta needs help to get ‘incredibly important’ kiln back in operation

Apr 28, 2022 | 4:14 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The property at Medalta is full of history, but it’s one of the newer pieces there that is in desperate need of attention.

The Artist in Residence Program has to get a new computer model for its BLAAUW kiln.

Residency coordinator Amy Duval says it’s an incredibly important piece of equipment for Medalta and the artists.

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“It’s one of our most popular kilns that are used here by artists-in-residence because of its energy efficiency and its highly-accurate firing times and the specificity involved in the firing schedules as well,” she says. “So I find a lot of (artists-in) residents travel from out of province or across Canada to come and use this kiln specifically. It’s also one of the only kilns of its kind in Alberta so we also have a lot of external kiln renters come to use this kiln for that specific purpose as well.”

The kiln was installed about 10 years ago and like any computer it had a lifespan. BLAAUW is no longer making the original one, reducing the kiln at Medalta to nothing more than a box right now, says Duval.

When operational, she says, it has the ease of electric kiln programming, eliminating some of the time-intensive needs of traditional gas kilns.

“You’re closing the door, entering this information in pressing start and then you walk away,” she explains. “Compared to any other gas kiln for the most part that has manual burners, like Venturi-style burners. You’re going to be around for the entire firing constantly adjusting the amount of gas, the amount of oxygen being introduced into the kiln. So you’re going to have to be on-site, firing that kiln physically for like 24 hours maybe.”

She adds that being able to chart out exactly what stage the project will be at in the firing after a certain amount of time is a valuable research tool.

The necessary parts have to come from the Netherlands and be installed by the one BLAAUW technician in North America at a total cost of about $16,000.

A crowdfunding page has been set up by The Friends of Medalta Society to help cover that cost, and a grant application has been submitted to the Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta. You can also drop off donations at Medalta, but Duval advises to call ahead to make sure someone will be on-site to accept them.

Duval says any extra money raised above the cost of this repair will be put toward the care and maintenance of the kiln going forward.