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Daily interviews with a local focus airing at 8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Northland Morning.

Community Connection: Raku Pottery with Chad Jerzak

A man with protective eyewear reaches for a trash car lid resting near a can with a large orange flame rising from within

"It's science, its art, it's developing an intuitive sense to get to know your materials and what they do," says Chad Jerzak, a Minnesota-based potter who focuses on and experiments with Raku pottery.

Raku pottery originated in Asia. As the story goes, a Korean potter and a Japanese potter came together to find a faster way of making roofing tiles, so they removed them from the kiln earlier and set them out to cool. It is said that only one Japanese family practices the true Raku art form. However, during the 40s, American soldiers saw this pottery style and brought it back to the states.

Jerzak experiments with his pottery and calls it a "backyard science" due to the trial-and-error aspect that comes with learning what glazes crackle and understanding the texture. Jerzak's ornate vases and urns are inspired by the great outdoors and the nature that is all around him.

Jerzak will be at the Park Point Art Fair this weekend. To learn more visit Chad Jersek's website.

You can hear Community Connection every Tuesday and Thursday at 8am on Northland Morning. This edition of Community Connection is made possible in part by Lakewalk Surgery Center.

Luke Moravec is the host for Northland Morning on The North 103.3. He’s also a local actor, musician and writer. He loves puzzles, riddles and fun mysteries.
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