>> SINCE 199, POTTER RICHARD HAS BEEN ARTIST IN RESIDENCE HERE ON THE CAMPUS OF St.

JOHN'S UNIVERSITY IN COLLEGEVILLE, MINNESOTA.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY, HE'S ESTABLISHED THE St.

JOHN'S POTTERY, AN INDEPENDENT STUDIO THAT'S EARNED AN INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION FOR ITS HIGH QUALITY WOOD-FIRED POTTERY.

HE BEGAN THROWING POTS AS A COLLEGE STUDENT HERE IN THE EARLY '70s.

AFTER COLLEGE, HE TRAVELED TO JAPAN, WHERE HE SPENT FOUR YEARS STUDYING TRADITIONAL JAPANESE POTTERY MAKING.

DURING HIS APPRENTICESHIP, HE WAS EXPOSED TO THE NATURE-BASED CULTURE OF RURAL JAPAN.

FROM THE POTTERS OF KARATSU, HE LEARNED A JAPANESE APPROACH TO MATERIALS THAT WAS TO HAVE A PROFOUND AND LASTING IMPACT ON HIS WORK.

THE OTHER MAIN INFLUENCE ON HIS WORK WAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT OF THE 1970s.

HIS OVERRIDING CONCERN AS AN ARTIST IS TO MAKE POTTERY IN THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE WAY POSSIBLE.

HE USES ANCIENT PACIFIC RIM TECHNIQUES IN COMBINATION WITH LOCAL RESOURCES TO CREATE POTTERY THAT'S UNIQUE TO MINNESOTA.

IN OCTOBER OF 1995, BREAST THAT HAN INAUGURATED THE JOHANNA KILN, THE LARGEST WOOD-FIRED KILN IN NORTH AMERICA.

THE RESULTS FROM THE FIRST FIRING OF THAT KILN EARNED HIM A ONE-MAN SHOW WITH THE MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE OF ART.

>> PLEASE WELCOME YOUR FRIEND, RICHARD BREAST THAT HAN.

[ Applause ] >> WHEN THE FIRST FIRE EXHIBITION WAS ANNOUNCED TO THE PUBLIC, A FRIEND AND PATRON CAME FLYING IN THE STUDIO ONE AFTERNOON AND SAID, RICHARD, YOU'RE HAVING AN EXHIBITION AT THE INSTITUTE.

YOU HAVE TO BE 4,000-YEAR-OLD -- 4,000 YEARS OLD OR DEAD TO HAVE TO GET INTO A PLACE LIKE THAT.

I LOOKED AT ARLENE AND SAID, GOD, I DIDN'T THINK I LOOKED THAT BAD.

[ Laughter ] >> IN THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES, THE BIBLE SAYS, THE POTTER KEEPS STABLE THE FABRIC OF THE WORLD AND THE POTTER'S PRAYER IS IN THE PRACTICE OF HIS TRADE.

THERE CAN BE FEW POTTERS AS FAITHFUL TO THIS DESCRIPTION AS RICHARD BRESNAHAN.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SETS HIM APART FROM OTHER POTTERS IS HIS USE OF INDIGENOUS MATERIALS.

MOST OF HIS CONTEMPORARIES BUY THEIR CLAY ALREADY PROCESSED AND PACKAGED.

HE GETS HIS CLAY FROM THE GROUND.

>> LOOK DOWN OVER HERE WHERE WE'VE GOT THE EXPOSED VEIN.

MOST POTTERS USE THE SAME MATERIAL, YOU CAN GET THE SAME CLAY IN CALIFORNIA AS YOU CAN OUT IN MAINE.

SO THE SAME LARGE -- FROM THE SAME LARGE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS.

WHEN YOU GO AND LOOK AT PEOPLE'S WORK, THE COLOR PALLETS OR THE COLOR BASE ARE GOING TO BE THE SAME.

>> WHY DON'T WE START RIGHT IN HERE THEN.

>> IF I DON'T DIG MY CLAY, NONE OF THIS WOULD WORK.

I GET A CLER PALATE THAT IS VERY UNIQUE.

I CAN'T GET IT ANY OTHER WAY.

COLOR.

>> TO FIND NATURALLY OCCURRING CLAY THAT'S BOTH USABLE AND ACCESSIBLE IS RARE.

THE DISCOVERY OF THIS CLAY DEPOSIT IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF HIS RESOURCEFULNESS AND SOME WOULD SAY LUCK.

LUCK IN THIS CASE LED HIM TO ONE OF HIS NEIGHBORS, FRANCIS SCHILLINGER.

>> RICHARD SHOWED UP ONE DAY AT MY HOME AND I CAN -- I REMEMBER SITTIN' ALONGSIDE HIM ON THE COUCH.

AND HE WAS TELLING ME THAT A LADY TOLD HIM THAT I HAD BROUGHT HER A COUPLE OF FIVE-GALLON BUCKETS OF CLAY AND IT WAS REALLY GREAT STUFF.

AND RICHARD, JUST GRABBING STUFF, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, MILKING IT FOR ALL HE CAN, AND THAT'S GOOD, THAT'S A GOOD TRAIT.

SO I TOLD HIM, YEAH, I'LL SHOW YOU WHERE THAT IS.

SO WE WENT DOWN THE ROAD A HALF MILE, AND I SHOWED HIM WHERE IT WAS.

>> WE WENT OVER TO THE BACK OF LAKE WATAB ON A DEAD END ROAD.

IT WAS COLLEGEVILLE TOWNSHIP.

AND THE CLAY DEPOSIT RAN THROUGH AN EXPOSED AREA OF A DITCH.

>> HE HAD SOME HELP AT THE TIME AND HE STARTED DIGGIN'.

I SAID, RICHARD, YOU CAN'T DO THAT.

YOU'VE GOT TO TALK TO THE -- THAT'S ON THE ROADBED THERE.

YOU HAVE TO TALK TO THE TOWN SUPERVISORS.

BY THAT TIME, HE HAD A 4 X 4 HOLE ABOUT THREE FEET DEEP.

AND I SUGGESTED TO HIM THAT MAYBE HE SHOULD REFILL THAT, THAT'S NOT GOOD TO START WORKIN' BEFORE YOU HAVE PERMISSION.

SO I TOOK A LOOK AT WHAT HE'D DONE, HERE HE HAD PUT SOME -- WAS LIKE AN ELEPHANT TRAPPED, IN CANVAS, BRUSH AND SPRINKLED AROUND, I SAID, YOU CAN'T DO THAT.

YOU'RE GONNA FALL IN THERE AND KILL YOURSELF.

BUT HE WAS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT CLAY.

AND TO MAKE THAT STORY SHORT, 1,500 CUBIC YARDS LATER I GOT PERMISSION AND HE HAULED IT ALL OVER TO St.

JOHN'S.

>> HERE'S ENOUGH FOR 300 YEARS OF PATTERN MAKING.

AND WE BROUGHT IT TO THE MONASTERY GROUNDS.

AND STOCKPILED IT THERE.

>> OKAY.

>> OKAY.

GRAB THIS ONE.

>> GRAB THIS ONE.

>> SHOULD WE GO LOOK FOR SOME CYSTALS?

HERE'S ONE.

RIGHT HERE.

HERE'S A NICE ONE.

>> UH-OH.

HERE.

HERE.

LOOK AT THAT ONE.

THERE WE GO.

THAT ONE'S FOR YOU.

YEAH.

THAT'S A BIG ONE.

OKAY.

LOOK AT OVER HERE.

LOOK AT THIS.

WE CAN GRAB SOME RIGHT HERE.

GREAT.

>> OKAY.

COME ON.

YOU WANT TO HAVE THE WATER TEMPERATE AND THEN START THE PROCESSING.

>> DIGGING THE CLAY IS THE EASY PART.

ONCE DUG, THE CLAY MUST BE WASHED AND MADE READY FOR THROWING.

HE AND APPRENTICE DAN START THE WASHING PROCESS BY THROWING THE CLAY INTO A SORT OF INDUSTRIAL-STRENGTH MAYTAG.

[ ♪♪ ] >> WE GET THE CLAY BACK, WE PUT IT IN THE WASHING TANK, WHICH IS A CULVERT, TURNED ON ITS SIDE WITH A SIMPLE ELECTRIC MOTOR, WITH SOME BLADES, FILL IT WITH WATER, DUMP THE CLAY IN, WASH IT, AND PUT LITTLE SUMP PUMP DOWN INTO IT, PUMP IT INTO THE STREAM.

[ ♪♪ ] >> WHEN YOU'RE ADDING WATER, ALL THOSE CLAY PARTICLES SPREAD OUT.

AND, SO, THAT ALLOWS LIKE THE SAND THAT MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN CAUGHT IN THE CLAY.

OR THE PLANTS THAT GOT CAUGHT IN THE CLAY TO ALL KIND OF OPEN UP, RIGHT MATERIAL STAYS IN THE SCREEN, CLAY GOES DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE HOLDING TANK.

>> THE NEXT STEP IS THAT THE LIQUID CLAY GETS PUMPED INTO THE PRESS AND THE WATER IS SQUEEZED OUT.

THE CLAY IS LEFT IN THE PRESS AND THE WATER RUNS OUT AND GOES BACK INTO THE WASHING TANK.

[ ♪♪ ] SO WHAT'S LEFT IN THOSE PLATES IS A STIFFER CLAY.

AND THAT CLAY IS TAKEN OUT INTO PLATES, AND WE PUT IT THROUGH A TUG MILL.

WE CAN BLEND THEM, THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CLAYS, WE HAVE A PORCELAIN -- AND THE STONEWEAR CLAY.

SO THAT MIXES THAT UP.

TAKES THE AIR OUT.

WRAP IT UP AND PUT IT INTO STORAGE AND THEN WE PUT IT INTO THE STORAGE ROOM FOR ABOUT A MONTH TO THREE MONTHS FOR AGING.

>> FROM DIGGING TO AGING IS A SIX-STEP PROCESS THAT TAKES HOURS OF LABOR.

SO, WHY DIG YOUR OWN CLAY WHEN YOU COULD AVOID ALL THIS WORK BY BUYING IT?

>> YOU LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THOSE HUGE OPEN PIT MINES WITH INCREDIBLE EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT AND THE SEMI TRUCKS THAT HAVE TO TRUCK ALL THIS STUFF AND FOSSIL FUELS ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES.

>> COMMERCIAL CLAY.

>> THE COMMERCIAL CLAY.

RELATIVE IN COMPARISON TO A DEPOSIT THAT YOU GOT OUT OF A WASTE STREAM SYSTEM, THEY WANTED TO GET RID OF THE CLAY, WE GOT IT FOR NOTHING.

WE'RE USING 1948 ELECTRIC MOTORS AND A FILTER PRESS THAT CAME OUT OF THE LANDFILL.

OLD CULVERTS, CHIPPED UP FROM THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT, AND THEN THE -- IN THE WHOLE SCHEME OF THINGS, WE CAN WASH AND PRODUCE AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF NATURAL RESOURCES