The Institute is a community partner of the Media Arts Center San Diego and its Latino Film Festival. Click on the image to see which films will be screened at the 17th Annual San Diego Latino Film Festival.
Barro Sin Plomo (Clay without Lead) Exhibit and Sale of Lead Free Pottery
November 5, 2009 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 pm
Institute of the Americas University of California, San Diego campus La Jolla, California Directions The event is free, but registrations are requested.
Victor Aguila Sanchez, founding director of Barro Sin Plomo, anthropologist and master trainer in lead-free techniques will be joined by Anna O’Leary, director of Barro Sin Plomo U.S.A., and Francisco Pinedo, CEO of Cisco Brothers, in a presentation on pioneering lead-free glazing techniques that enable artisans to continue to produce distinctive Mexican ceramic pottery without poisoning themselves or their children.
Mexican potters have used lead to glaze pottery for centuries. Tragically, potters and their children chronically inhale and ingest dangerously high quantities of lead. These ceramic pottery workshops are home-based and the glazing occurs where children reside and where their food is often prepared. This practice has had a devastating impact on family health, the environment, and Mexico’s local and national economies.
Pottery will be sold and refreshments served after the presentation.
Decorative vases by Elena Felipe, considered one of the great master of Mexican folk art, will be offered for sale, along with black and white glazed platters and serving dishes by artisan Fernando Arroyo; fish bowls by Manuel Morales; traditional green glazed baking dishes from Michoacán, and much more. Prices range from: $35 - $250. The tax-deductible portion of the sale, used to expand Barro Sin Plomo’s lead-free training to new artisans, will be specified on the receipts.
