Pottery
The core of the Alexander Alliance Southwest approach is our Living Arts program. We believe that the best learning occurs in real life situations and as a result create artistic and living arts opportunities through out the year. One of our more popular events is our Pottery Workshop, with Felipe Ortega, Micaceous Clay Potter and Apache Medicine man.
An Alexander student applying the Alexander
technique while sanding a pot
Excess tension in your body can cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms and it can interfere with your ability to perform activities well. During the pottery workshop as we work with shaping the wet clay by hand, water-scraping the hardened pots, sanding and finishing them with a slip coat, we have plenty of opportunity to explore the balance of tension in our bodies.
What is too much or too little and what is just enough? How do the pots we form mirror our use of bodies? What can we learn in the shape of the pots about the bowls in our bodies?
The Alexander Technique enables us to restore our natural balance, flexibility and ease of movement. It teaches us about the appropriate amount of effort we need for an activity, releasing more energy for all our activities. It is a reeducation of the mind and body that helps you discover a new balance in your body by choosing the appropriate amount of effort you need. The lessons learnt during the pottery workshop can be applied to all of your daily activities.
Micaceous clay pots being fired
During this workshop, participants get the opportunity to make traditional Apache bean pots. The Micaceous Clay pots you make can be used for cooking. Made from an alkaline clay, they impart the benefits of this alkalinity to the food that is cooked in them.
Participants may also have the opportunity to attend an Apache Two-Spirit Sweat lodge during the workshop and may have a pot or bowl they created read by Felipe Ortega.
For more information on this years event