March 7, 2003 – As part of continuing efforts to find uses for items that might otherwise end up at the dump, Maho Bay Camps on St. John will begin turning wooden pallets into fuel to fire its kiln later this month.
"Everything shipped to the island comes in on these crates," Gail Van de Bogurt, Maho Bay's resident potter, said.
The kiln is used to fire pottery made at workshops Van de Bogurt runs at Mayo Bay. She said it fires more quickly than other types of kilns, reaching 2,300 degrees F. in six to eight hours, and thus uses far less fuel than most others.
Ginger Kreofsky, head of Maho Bay's art center, said the ecology-oriented tent resort is currently getting pallets from a local business. She asked that others with pallets to discard give her a call to see if Maho Bay needs them to fire the kiln.
Van de Bogurt said that Maho Bay art workshops will also use discarded office paper and sawdust to pit fire pottery. She said this is an ancient Japanese method of firing pottery. "This is an experimental kiln," she said.
Several years ago, Maho Bay began exploring how to turn trash into treasure. Its project of having glass blowers in residence recycling empty beverage bottles into original works of art continues to expand. There also have been experiments working with aluminum and other "waste" materials available in large amounts.
Kreofsky that Maho Bay Camps is about to open a gallery featuring items made from materials that would otherwise be discarded.
Maho Bay offers a series of workshops in clay sculpture, glass blowing, mosaics, photography and children's and adult crafts. Kreofsky said all are open to residents as well as resort guests. Fees start at $15 a session.
For a list of workshops this season, visit the Maho Bay Camps Web site, or call 776-6226, ext. 212. To reach Kreofsky, call 776-6240.
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