potters
The heart and soul of Potters for Peace is working with potters in the developing world and although PFP ceramic water filter work is worldwide our pottery activities are centered in Central America.
Since 1989 we have had a full time staff presence in Nicaragua, and one of our goals is to meet every potter in Nicaragua. That job is not done but PFP has long standing friendships with most Nica potters and works in neighboring countries as well.
We work with what is… encouraging the utilization of local knowledge and aesthetic vocabulary while acting as a bridge to the transferable technology and marketing of the developed world.
Our programs include the following:
Potters Teaching Potters
-Interchanges among pottery communities to share knowledge and skills are an ongoing PFP priority. We provide the transportation, cover any expenses and the potters learn from each other. These are rare opportunities for campesina potters who rarely can afford to travel for any reason, even in their own country, and would never visit potters in a neighboring country.
-We have provided dozens of scholarships to Nicaraguan potters for in-country apprenticeships and trainings on specific techniques like use of the potters’ wheel and bead and drum making. We now have a skilled corps of Nicaraguan potters that we can hire for most of this work.
-National conferences of Nicaraguan potters, organized by PFP, serve as forum to share skills, voice concerns and needs and evaluate projects. Such events also host important national pottery exhibitions. International buyers sometimes do presentations, explaining design and technical concerns for those interested in the export market. Fun events such as “Pottery Olympics” are included too.
Technical and Design Assistance
-We provide materials, technical assistance and training for building equipment such as wheels, extruders, energy efficient kilns and burners. Hardware is sometimes given gratis but more commonly the potters buy equipment at a PFP subsidized price, with payments, or perhaps trade for pottery.
-We contract professional designers for both long and short term work in the communities, refining existing products as well as developing new ones.
Fuel Efficient Kilns
- A PFP technical volunteer Manny Hernandez, professor at Northern Illinois University, developed a fuel-efficient downdraft kiln called the “Mani” kiln; constructed with local brick and labor they can reduce firewood use by up to 50%.
-After Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America in 1998 Manny went to Nicaragua and trained a kiln building team, in two months 15 kilns were built, and the potters were back in production.
-More than 60 Mani kilns have now been built worldwide.
Alternative Fuel Burners
- For many years PFP has been developing energy efficient, solid fuel burner systems utilizing agricultural waste such as rice husks, coffee husks or saw dust. They are very powerful and address a problem becoming obvious to developing world ceramics workers, forests are rapidly disappearing and firewood is ever more expensive. Soil erosion due to deforestation can also lead to tragic consequences during the severe rains common to the tropical third world.
-When possible the Alternative Fuel Burner and Mani Kiln are introduced as a package to promote a less expensive, environmentally friendly, more reliable firing technique.
Ceramic Raw Materials Research
In Nicaragua, we are constantly on the road maintaining contact with widely dispersed potters and pottery projects. This fact, plus keeping an open eye and ear exploring the environment allows us to make the most of local raw materials. We have a small testing facility in country, and we occasionally sponsor particular shops in their research.
Marketing
Despite Nicaragua’s perilous economic situation as the hemisphere’s second poorest country, there is an in-country market for pottery and PFP works with the artisans to make the most of it.
-Road signs have been shown to increase sales for potters, PFP has developed and is installing signs for the pottery communities which use a common logo and color combination country wide.
-Showroom areas have been created at the workshops.
-Organizing and funding rural potters to participate in artisan fairs and maintaining a showroom at the PFP Managua office are other strategies.
-Brochures have been produced for some of the potters’ groups.
-We are planning a website devoted to marketing Nicaraguan pottery to Fair Trade outlets.
In 1998, PFP arranged an 18,000 piece Pier I order for a small women’s collective, (An experience they may not want to repeat.)
Coordination With Other Organizations
PFP maintains contact and consults with a variety of national and international aid/development organizations and craft importers. With communication and co-ordination, the potential for donation overkill and other forms of unproductive wheel-spinning is reduced.
Educational Outreach and Documentation
We try to keep audio and visual records of the lives and work of our potter friends. Seeing their own and others’ work in visual formats can be an invaluable asset in personal development and we have placed Nicaraguan potters’ work in international publications with this material.
Over the years we have arranged and/or financed the trips of Nicaraguan potters to the U.S. to participate in conferences and conduct workshops at colleges, pottery guilds, high schools, community centers and intercultural fairs.
News
Robert Pillers, PFP’s treasurer and now a full time resident of Nicaragua, is our new coordinater for the Nicaraguan artisan program. He was carefully mentored by Ron Rivera and has spent a lot of time during the past year on the road getting to know all the potters and how we can best work with them. Among other things Robert has overseen the building of several new kilns, integrated new communities into our programs and led both our annual brigade trips as well as arranged tours for University classes from Florida and Iowa.
Bill Shinn Visit
In August 2009 we were honored by a visit from extruder master Bill Shinn. Extrusion is popular with many Nica potters and Bill carried out a week long workshop at the Training Center.
Training Center Completed
An ongoing problem with working in Nicaragua is the logistics of transportation. PFP has no official vehicle and bus travel is impractical when training materials have to be delivered, buses also don’t always go to some of the communities we work in. One solution is to have a centralized training center where potters can spend a few days or a week working on new techniques. Construction has been completed and several sessions carried out in the three buildings which comprise our training center in La Paz Centro, about 45 min’s. outside of Managua; a dormitory building; another for cooking and dining and a workshop/salesroom. When not in use by PFP we are able to rent it to other organizations.