Introduction (Summer 2013)
All of the pottery in Used exhibit evidence of ethnographic wear (pueblo home use). Rather than the unblemished, pristine pieces they once were, and that are conventionally regarded as beautiful, their beauty arises from use–the surface and paint have darkened from cooking and touching; jars and bowls show weak spots that have opened up cracks and chips from generations in the dry New Mexican climate; ladles have worn away paint and rims and native repairs have been employed to save old ceramics, often family heirlooms. These pieces are illustrations of their life stories, and of the warmth and love inherent in their conservation over the years. This use was not limited to what we see on the exterior, but is also evident on the interior.
Despite their similarities, each bowl or jar in this show has had its own history and now exhibits its own unique beauty. As we now love and touch these rare and wonderful objects born of love, we as collectors become part of the ceramics’ living histories as the potteries endure and change with our own loving touch.
Beauty and love are individual things, of course. So the pieces in this show appeared to me now for reasons for which I can only guess.
Click Here to View the Pieces in the Show You can navigate through with the next and previous links at the bottom of each page and return to the List View at any time by clicking the “Used” category in the right sidebar. Videos for many pieces will be posted shortly or you can view our youtube channel by clicking here.