NMC ceramic studio receives new kiln

The Northern Marianas College is the recipient of a nearly new propane gas kiln along with a potter’s wheel, a ballmill, and various glazes that were donated by artist and former resident of Tinian, Daniel Bennet.

All the equipment were originally brought to Tinian by Bennet and his family. However, they later became available when the artist returned to the mainland.

Barry Wonenberg, the ceramics instructor at NMC, was informed by Bennet about the availability of the ceramic equipment and was asked if the ceramics class at NMC would be interested in obtaining the equipment for course purposes. The only condition was that they would cover the expense of transporting the equipment from Tinian to Saipan.

Wonenberg was ecstatic about the opportunity and began the necessary procedures of transporting the equipment immediately. “This has been in the works since February of this year so it took several months for this to happen,” said Wonenberg. “Kay Christian, a student at NMC, was instrumental in coordinating with the various agencies so that everything came together so nicely.”

Wonenberg said that the kiln enhances the ceramic studio’s capabilities by giving students the opportunity to expand their knowledge and creativity by increasing the variations possible during the firing process.

“It is a very significant piece of equipment for any college ceramics studio. We’re very appreciative of this generous contribution and want to acknowledge others who assisted in making this possible,” he said.

The donors include Trenton Connor and the staff of Tinian Stevedore who were instrumental in the preparation and shipping of the kiln from Tinian to Saipan.

Verizon Micronesia generously donated $500 to help pay for the shipping expense, while Mark Blackburn and the crew of Seafix Inc. provided their boom truck and manpower to transport the kiln from the seaport to its new home in the ceramics studio.

Verizon marketing manager Russ Quinn said that the company believes in investing in the future of the CNMI, especially when it comes to education. “We are glad that Mr. Wonenberg asked us here at Verizon to be a part of this and we hope that the students will make good use of this equipment,” said Quinn.

“The kiln is an impressive piece of equipment and it is amazing to see the types of products that can be made by using it. The machine will truly take NMC’s ceramics class to another level and hopefully, we’ll be seeing more ceramic artwork from our CNMI residents being displayed at community events and exhibits,” said Carlene Reyes-Tenorio, marketing coordinator/public relations/communications of Verizon.

The kiln or oven is six feet tall and weighs about 1,500 lbs. It has the ability to fire the students’ work to 2,400 degrees F (approximately 1,300 C) and is available at NMC ceramics classes. For more information or if you are interested in taking ceramic courses, call 234-5498.