Kiln History
In 2010, School of Art and Visual Studies professor Hunter Stamps received a $157,000 grant from the Windgate Foundation to construct a wood-burning kiln on the University of Kentucky campus. Professor Robert Shay (former Dean of the College of Fine Arts) worked with Scott Smith (former Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment) to locate a site for the kiln at Coldstream Research Park. The kiln was built during a class taught by Stamps and senior lecturer Jeremey Colbert in the summer of 2012. The wood kiln offered a unique student experience and promoted student recruitment efforts. Faculty from more than seven Kentucky universities brought students to participate in the firings for more than a decade. In the summer of 2022, the land from the Coldstream Research Park was transferred to the City of Lexington, therefore the wood kiln had to be removed from the property.