The interior of a kiln glows through green protective lenses on Sept. 21, 2021 at Access Arts in Columbia, Missouri.
Dakota Parkinson, ceramic artist and teacher, adjusts the gas valves underneath the kiln Sept. 21, 2021. The kiln requires continuous observation and management.
Parkinson checks the pieces in the kiln Sept. 21. As a teaching artist, Parkinson leads classes in exchange for personal studio space at Access Arts.
Cinnabar-colored glaze coats Parkinson’s hand during a demonstration at Access Arts on Dec. 13, 2021.
Parkinson picks a discarded mug out of a pottery graveyard Sept. 21, 2021 at Access Arts. Cups, bowls, plates and other works go through stages of experimentation, creation and destruction in classes and artists’ studios.
Parkinson explains glaze layers to her class Dec. 13, 2021 at Access Arts. Sample tiles on the wall show the range of colors that can be created by combinations of glazes.
Left, bowls in Parkinson’s studio wait to be glazed Sept. 21, 2021. Parkinson sells the final product, right, at a benefit event to raise money for a mutual aid fund for trans women on Nov. 19, 2021.
Parkinson explains her process to guests at the benefit event Bowls 4 the Girls, Nov. 19, 2021. Parkinson made 120 bowls and raised $3,000 over the course of the evening.
Parkinson works in the Access Arts classroom Dec. 13, 2021.