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I met Twig C. while we were loading the anagama kiln at Pleasant Hill Pottery in Oregon. We were chatting as pots made their way into the chamber, and it came up that Twig was one of the main organizers of the Queer Cat firings. I had heard a bit about these queer-collective wood-firings – which have been going on for a couple of years and take place in a catenary arch “cat kiln" at East Creek Art in Willamina, Oregon – and was curious to learn more. The program was so impressive and inspiring that I set up a formal interview. My conversation with Twig has been edited for brevity.
Hamish Jackson (HJ): How did the idea of the Queer Cat come about?
Twig: At the Northwest Wood-Fire Conference in Oregon in 2022, there was a panel discussion called “Good Job, Do better: A Discussion About Creating Spaces in the Wood-Firing Community.” It featured Aubrey Sloan, Careen Stoll, Antra Sinha, Mandy Stigant, Mindi Gandara, and Alex Slydel. The question was how to create more equity in the wood-firing scene, which historically has been very male-dominated in the United States.
The discussion focused on a women's wood-fire that was hosted at East Creek Art (in Willamena, Oregon) in 2019. The panel celebrated the event's impacts, but it also drew attention to the systemic issues that still exist. Wood-firing has often been a misogynistic and devaluing space toward women, gender-diverse people, and people of color.
I was carpooling back and forth to the conference with Alex Slydel, and we thought, wouldn’t it be cool if we did a Queer wood-firing? Aubrey Sloan, who was helping run East Creek as their onsite program coordinator, approached both of us independently and suggested it, too. That was the start of it. We were successful in getting a couple of grants and started organizing.
HJ: So, you did the first Queer Cat Firing in 2023?
Twig: 2023 was the first year, but we didn't just do the firing. Alex and I taught two pre-firing workshops, one for artists with an existing clay practice and new to wood-fire, and one for artists who had no clay experience at all. These were hosted at Morning Ceramics Studio and Daffodill Studios in Portland. We provided artists with clay donated from the Clay Art Center and Georgie’s Ceramic & Clay Co.
Out of the fifty-seven participants in 2023, about half of the participants were novices, and of those, twelve people had their first wood-fire experience at Queer Cat 2023. Many beginners are still involved in the program and have even stepped into organizational leadership roles.
I remember being at Pleasant Hill Pottery, talking about our plans for the firing, how many participants would be involved, especially novices, and being confronted with the question, “What will you do with all of those people?” The Chicken Cat is only sixty cubic-feet, and I think it came as a shock that so many individuals would be sharing that space. We weren’t worried because East Creek is a fun place, but we saw the opportunity to do more and rose to the occasion.
So, we put together a whole weekend of programming.
We planned group hikes, a collaborative group sculpture, a DIY screen printing station, and clay demos. It was really like gay clay summer camp, all orbiting around the beautiful and exhilarating process of firing a kiln together. One of the highlights was a roundtable discussion where we talked about equity in wood-fire and ceramics in general. This was particularly impactful and brought people together.
Equity is a huge goal of the program, so making it free for participants felt essential. Socioeconomic factors are hugely limiting in wood-firing, especially in the Pacific Northwest, where people often pay $50 a cubic-foot for space in a kiln. Queer people, especially QTBIPOC, are often uniquely socioeconomically disadvantaged due to limited access to generational wealth and fewer educational and career opportunities because of financial barriers, social barriers, and mental health issues. This makes it more difficult to access these tangible luxuries and to feel comfortable entering spaces that are notorious for being gender normative, male-dominated, and predominantly white.
In wood-firing, there is often a scarcity mindset. There’s so much riding on it, and access is limited. We wanted to change the mindset from scarcity to abundance. Offering this radical access point by making the program free leveled the playing field. It created a generous community atmosphere. There was so much gratitude for one another.
Before we did it, I was honestly skeptical – was it going to have an impact? Would it matter? But when I was at this wood kiln surrounded only by other Queer people for the first time, it was like, “Whoa. This is amazing.” There is a certain vigilance that I think is common for Queer people to hold in most spaces. Will I be safe? Will I be understood? Will I be accepted as the full version of myself? It’s like white noise, balancing what to hide and share, the fear of what people think of you and how they will treat you based on what they think of you. I didn’t realize how strong that white noise was until it was gone. That was really motivating.
HJ: How did the program evolve in 2024?
Twig: After the first year, I was pretty burnt out, to be honest. But the feedback from the first Queer Cat was that it was life-changing for a lot of people, so we knew we had to do it again. We wanted to continue providing a springboard for Queer artists and further develop their community.
We listened to feedback that our one-day workshops were too short, so we organized an eight-session hand-building class. We also bought everybody a set of tools that they could keep. This was made possible by generous donations from our community members and the Oregon Potters Association. It was cool to have people sit with their projects for more time and get to know each other before the firing weekend. Radius Art Studio in Portland generously let us use their classroom space for the workshop.
We also offered an orientation day and a wadding glaze night at Heirloom Ceramic Studio in Portland to better acquaint new participants with the wood-fire process and what to expect at East Creek.
We were able to accept even more participants because a generous donor paid for the rental of a new, twenty-four cubic-foot catenary arch kiln called the Fish Cat. We fired it concurrently with the Chicken Cat, which worked out great because we were able to make the firing shifts smaller and more intimate since they were split between two kilns. For new participants who were still wary of fire, that little kiln was a great way to dip their toes in.
Our weekend programming also became more fleshed out. Our community members taught workshops over the weekend, such as “Working Through Creative Blocks” and “Glaze Mixing 101.” We also offered a free lunch and dinner plan every day of the weekend program, spearheaded by our incredible meal crew volunteers! This was a great addition that reduced the strain on the limited kitchen space and created a real sense of community connection.
One of our hopes was to have the impacts of Queer Cat make ripple effects throughout the country, creating one model for more inclusive and accessible wood-fire spaces. So, we organized a Queer wood-fire exhibition at Salem on the Edge gallery in Salem, Oregon, which ran from July 3rd through 27th, 2024. It was juried by Eva Funderburgh and showcased wood-fire ceramics by Queer artists from all over the country, plus select works from Queer Cat participants. It felt like perfect timing to have that show open on the tail end of Pride Month, and I think it was symbolic of the strength and resilience of the Queer community to take up space and be known. It was such an excellent grouping of work, and seeing it all come together felt like the cherry on top of everything we did for Queer Cat 2024.
HJ: That’s a lot! How did you manage to expand the program so much?
Twig: We needed more support, so we built a bigger team, set higher fundraising goals, and ensured our coordinators were compensated for their efforts.
We received the Arts3C grant from the Regional Arts and Cultural Council and the Precipice Fund grant from the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, as well as a grant from the Oregon Potters Association, but we also did a big gala fundraiser. The gala was heaps of fun. I've never organized an event of that scale before. It was a total learning experience, but I'm grateful for everybody who donated to support the event and for our performers. Our two amazing drag performers, Anyanka and Rosie Cakes, totally stole the show.
Last year, our friends Ty and Chey recorded a short video documentary for us. The film talked about the impacts of the first Queer Cat, and we had to premiere that at the gala. It’s called "Queer Cat."
HJ: Do you think the Queer Cat program has had a positive impact on the community? Can you share some of the feedback you have received?
Twig: Definitely. Reading participants’ stories in the exit survey makes me want to cry. Seeing what folks are already doing just a couple of months later, really taking this experience and running with it, taking up space, growing as artists, and strengthening the community, we want to continue it in some way.
Many participants wouldn't have been able to take the risk of trying wood-firing without this. Here are some quotes from the exit surveys:
“I had spent three years learning ceramics in Portland, but the wood-firing scene had always been quite intimidating. As a gay immigrant and novice ceramicist, I wasn't sure if I would fit in or even find a safe space to get involved … I ended up gaining a community of queer ceramicists and newfound courage to elevate my ceramic journey.”
“This was such a beautiful and enriching experience. Thank you so much for making this otherwise esoteric and exclusive firing experience accessible to folks like me. Without your efforts, I don’t think I ever would have gotten to try it. And now I’m hooked!”
“Having been a part of many firings led by rude dudes, the difference of having an intentionally inclusive leadership is palpable.”
“Even at the most accommodating wood-fire events, education is hard won and not given freely. It would take a novice a long time to get the opportunity to put their hands in the kiln.”
“The coordinators and crew truly stepped up to make this happen – what a beautiful thing! It definitely pushed me, but I felt supported and proud to have helped with the capacity I had, and I can only imagine others feeling the same. It was great to see new folks learning skills like chopping wood, bricking the door, stoking, etc!"
HJ: What does the future hold? Will the Queer Cat program continue to expand? Have your goals shifted?
Twig: Our priorities are coming more into focus. There has been a dialogue about whether this is a program about wood-firing or clay and community. How can we do both of those things?
We know we want to expand by creating more safe spaces for Queer artists of color and artists with disabilities. We want to be an educational resource. So, if we partner with local studios, they're providing this community educational resource, and we can help facilitate that through them. We want to develop mentorship and professional development within the Queer community, too.
We need to make sure that our volunteers are supported so we don't encounter problems of burnout, and we need to secure the resources to continue. We've been in discussions about filing for nonprofit status and that is going to take a lot of leg work. Sustainability is our goal. Our priority now is to build a framework so we can continue the program in the long term.
If you have experience in this area or want to support the Queer Cat program, please reach out to Twig at queer.cat.firing@gmail.com and follow along on Instagram at @queer.cat.firing.
Twig C. – Artist Profile
Twig’s creative journey with ceramics began at Lewis & Clark College where he was moved by the grounded, material aspect of clay. After graduating in 2017, they spent four years training and working as a production potter at Mary Carroll Ceramics in Portland, OR. Since then, his studio practice has become deeply rooted in the local wood-firing community. Outside of the studio, Twig works at the Portland Art Museum and teaches ceramics classes at Radius Art Studio and Heirloom Ceramic Studio.
Twig’s work is primarily wheel-thrown and functional, incorporating subtle and delicate design elements to capture the elegance, opulence, and refinement of form. They chase the subtlety of forms, the movement of curves, and the precise meeting of contour lines. The magic of the wood kiln breathes life into the ware, highlighting these details by painting a canvas of dynamic surface.
Twig’s experiences as a production potter, arts educator, and wood-fire artist have underscored the strong intersection of clay and community support systems.
"Clay is more than a craft; it is a home base. They merge my art and social practice as an advocate for other LGBTQIA+ artists, supporting their local clay community through skill-sharing, resource-sharing, and supporting safe spaces for marginalized artists." – Twig