Across the region of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, aging kiln sites tucked into forests, valleys, and coastal hillsides have become defining landmarks for generations of potters. A new generation of atmospheric potters is inheriting the responsibility of stewarding these remarkable kilns, becoming the keepers of hard-earned technical knowledge and regional aesthetic traditions. But we are also inheriting systems that have not always been equitable, sustainable, or safe; As a queer and Trans organizer working within these communities, I return again and again to questions of burnout, belonging, and the social structures that define the wood-firing world. Rising costs, aging infrastructure, shifting demographics, and long-overdue conversations about power and accountability are reshaping what it means to participate in this community. The old boys club is being redefined by crews that are more female, queer, and racially diverse, and I am excited to both collaborate with and witness my peers confront the past to set a course to the future we want to see.
This issue elevates the stories of queer, Trans, and women contemporary emerging artists who have been shaped by and are shaping the future of atmospheric firing on the West Coast. As editor-at-large, I wanted to bring together artists whose practices reflect not only the changing landscape of West Coast atmospheric firing but the broader realities of sustaining a creative life today.
