Welcome to the Saint John's Pottery online gallery, featuring a selection of work by Richard Bresnahan and artists of the Pottery.

All proceeds benefit the Saint John's Pottery, artists and programs.

News

The 18th firing of the Johanna Kiln took place October 16–25, 2026.

The Minnesota Star Tribune —“Minnesota’s hottest art event: Firing St. John’s massive pottery kiln” (October 28, 2026). Authored by Rachel Hutton. Photograph (replicated here) by Renée Jones Schneider.
CSB/SJU Newsroom —“18th firing of the Johanna Kiln dedicated to three who were a big part of The Saint John’s Pottery” (October 14, 2026). Authored by Frank Rajkowski.
Silences and Sounds — “Fire, Work, and Remembrance: The Johanna Kiln at Saint John’s” (October 17, 2026). Authored by Cynthia J. Cyrus.
CSB/SJU Photoessay — “18th firing of the Johanna Kiln” (October 27, 2026). Photographers unlisted.

OCTOBER 2026

Panelists for “The Transpacific Connection: Ceramic Influences between Japan and the United States” are:

Jun Kaneko, artist
Suzuki Goro, artist
Richard Bresnahan, artist
Ree Kaneko, arts administrator and curator

This Zoom talk, moderated by Joan Mirviss, focuses on insights from renowned senior ceramic artists and educators whose artistic careers have been shaped by time spent in both Japan and the United States. Panelists reflect on the role that each of these environments have played in fostering their remarkable artistic careers.

SEPTEMBER 2025

The 17th firing of the Johanna Kiln took place October 11–20, 2024.

Minnesota Public Radio—“10 days, 10,000 objects and one very large kiln” (October 21, 2024). Authored by Alex V. Cipolle.
Project Optimist— “Saint John's Pottery forges community” (October 22, 2024). Authored by Lisa McClintick.
The Saint Cloud Times—“St. John's Pottery begins the 17th firing of the Johanna Kiln” (October 17, 2024). Authored by Stephanie Dickrell.
CSB/SJU Newsroom—“17th firing of the Johanna Kiln at The Saint John’s Pottery starts Friday” (October 7, 2024). Authored by Frank Rajkowski.
The Chronicle of Higher Education—“Blending the work of head and hand” (January 8, 2025). Authored by Scott Carlson.

OCTOBER 2024

The National Gallery of Art—“Potter Richard Bresnahan Navigates an ‘Eco-Mutual’ Future,” (April 15, 2024). Authored by Paul Schmelzer. An excerpt:

“Coming out of the Depression, can you imagine how happy my great aunts and uncles and my grandparents were when they were able to buy their first grain bin? It only held 1,500 bushels, but they had control over their seeds for the first time.”

“Drive the prairies of North Dakota today,” Bresnahan says. “The farmhouses are gone, the barns are gone. But you see the sentinels, those grain bins, those last remaining joys of farming families that are gone.” During his apprenticeship in Kyushu, he found a way of living that resonated with his North Dakota childhood: communal, resourceful, hyperlocal, and sensitive to the earth.

APRIL 2024

Shop by Artist

Richard Bresnahan——Founder and director of the Saint John’s Pottery, for more than 40 years Richard Bresnahan has served as artist-in-residence of Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict.
Daniel Smith ——Studio manager since 2022, Daniel Smith joined the Saint John’s Pottery in 2018 as an apprentice.
Carter Slette ——Senior apprentice Carter Slette joined the Saint John’s Pottery in 2024.