Brenda Stokes, WoodStoke Pottery and Kiln Festival, Navarre

There is a pottery studio and showroom in Navarre, Florida, called Holley Hill Pottery. The owner/artists are Marty, Brenda, and Jason Stokes, co-founders of the Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society and the WoodStoke Pottery and Kiln Festival which is coming up on Saturday, February 10th. 

The Kiln Walk Society has an Anagama and a Southern Altered Groundhog Kiln filled with approximately 1500 pieces of pottery created by 45 potters from all over the country, Canada, and Japan. At the festival, attendees can help unload these historical kilns, and some of the artwork will be for sale. Here is the story of Brenda, Holley Hill, and the Kiln Walk Society.

Brenda was born in Washington DC but grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi, where her father was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base. When Dad retired, they moved to Anna Maria Island, south of Tampa, and eventually moved to the Fort Walton/Navarre area of Florida. 

Brenda’s mother was an artist, and her father enjoyed woodworking, so it was only natural for her to become an artist, too. She got her degree in studio art from the University of West Florida and for 40 years, the family sold pottery at coastal art shows. “There was a time when my family had 3 booths side by side: my mother, my son, and my husband, Marty, and I. “ 

In the mid-’90s, she and her potter friends started reading about wood-fired kilns but there were none available locally for them to try. They reached out to Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida but they didn't have the room or the resources to build one. In 2001, with the help of over thirty-five local artists, professors, and patrons of the arts, they formed the Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to the history and preservation of the wood fire arts and they set out to bring a wood fire kiln to the area. 

In 2004, society members built a 32-foot Anagama Kiln and fired it for the first time a year later. In 2009, another wood-fire kiln from the 1940s came to the Kiln Walk’s property. This kiln was found abandoned in Jay, Florida, and was previously owned by Ralph Howard Phillips, who produced jugs, churns, crocks, garden pottery, and folk art made from local clays. 

With help from Kiln Walk volunteers, they moved the kiln, piece by piece, to the “Hill.” The kiln was carefully documented before it was deconstructed and moved and it is now the only historically preserved, functional kiln in the State of Florida. These two kilns are fired only once a year, and Brenda told me that the process takes about 4 weeks.

“The participating potters under the tutelage of seasoned artists do all the work; glazing the clay works, helping load the kilns, and even stoking the fire around the clock for five or six days to keep the temperature just right for firing. Then it takes 12 more days for the kilns to cool.” 

Kiln Walk advertises the firing in Ceramic Monthly Magazine and attracts many nationally known potters, professors from prestigious universities, and even students from art programs from local schools. This year's featured artists are Chris Gustin, Maria Spies, Jim Lawton, and Don Ridley. Sponsors donate money or services to help pay for housing, food, firewood, and publicity. It is truly a community endeavor and an artistically important one, as well. 

What fun it must be to open a kiln and see how the elements have affected and enhanced the clay pieces. It must feel like opening presents on Christmas morning! Brenda says the festival is a free public event and patrons may purchase a bowl made from historical clays from the Phillips site in Santa Rosa County for $20 with proceeds going to the educational aspects of ceramic art. 

Guests who purchase the bowl may sample seafood, chili, and specialty dishes from the local garden club. Wood-fired pizza will be provided by Ye Old Brothers Brewery with musical entertainment by the Now and Then Duo. 

Brenda is really excited about the commemorative T-shirt designed by the famous Mississippi artist, Walter Anderson’s grandson, Christopher Stebly. The festival is from 9 am to 4 pm at the corner of Highway 87 South and Buckeye Drive in Navarre. For more info, call 850-939-2744. The festival has come a long way since its inception in 2005, and I can't wait to experience this incredible event!