SOMERVILLE – Raku, a 12th-century pottery-firing technique, may trace its origins to creating the wares for Japanese tea ceremonies, but you certainly don’t need to hop on a plane to try it yourself.

As she carefully used large metal tongs to move molded chunks of hot fired clay to a tub filled with cool water, Shepard High School senior Ava Gliva joked she “maybe” found a career. “It’s not ...