Results and processes of the Pottery Learning Community CHAPTER III
Exploring through the mud is a way of connecting with personal history and that of our peoples. Explore, without forgetting what is important to us, to connect with the roots of our families and those of the great pottery family, which sink into time.
In the Learning Community of Potters we explore in different ways: back and forth, out and in; sometimes we explore aimlessly and sometimes aimlessly, sometimes with method and sometimes just for fun; we explore with our hands, the body, the word and the clay.
We seek new paths trusting in what we already know how to do, supported (women and men) by the depth of our knowledge and by the richness of our tradition, which is made visible through our hands.
During 12 months In 2018-2019, potters from Amatenango del Valle, San Bartolo Coyotepec, San Marcos Tlapazola, Santa María Atzompa, Pochutla, Reyes Metzontla and Tonaltepec found ourselves as Learning Community of Potters to discover new creation tools: the improved traditional oven, built collectively; copy, scale, proportion and style to design new products; asking and asking to discover what one wants to know; and use the body to understand things that are difficult, among others.
In this exhibition we wanted to show what happens when a group of potters and potters get together to share freely, in a space of trust, collaboration and brotherhood. A space where everyone, men and women, are equal, where we all have something to teach and we all learn.
We feel happy and proud to share a little bit of this path of transformation that has had profound effects on our work and our families, and that has brought us together as a community. We hope it will inspire others to participate.
We thank all the members of the Huaj Valley Networkandyes, to the teacher Domingo Martínez and Judith Chaffe, from the Pottery Studies Center in Puebla, to Taro and Natsumi who generously lent us the spaces of the Restaurant Kintaro Ramen Now! and to all the friends who offered something to give life to this exhibition.
