2023-06-29 13:19:34
O craftsmanship Brazilian is that trade taught from generation to generation. And Dona Izabel’s ceramic dolls masterfully represent the value of tradition. Ceramist and craftswoman Andreia Andrade has a degree in visual arts, but learned at the age of 12 from her mother Glória and her grandmother, owner Izabel Mendes, great pottery master of the Jequitinhonha Valleythe art of creating your own narrative regarding the history of your place and its people.
The family from Santana do Araçuaí, in Minas Gerais, already targets the fourth generation of popular artisans, seeing the potency in the art of Andreia’s youngest son, Mateus, 7 years old, who loves to help her paint her pieces. . “Lucas, my eldest son, sometimes helps me prepare the clay, a slightly simpler part of the pottery process that he manages to make. But I see that Mateus has a knack for it and likes to listen to my stories with my grandmother Izabel. He models in some clay, making miniature dolls, as an apprentice, and helps me paint some of my works. In the coming months, Mateus will participate for the first time in an exhibition in Belo Horizonte with the whole family”, says Andreia proudly.
– (Lori Figueiró/Disclosure)
And that started with the creations of Dona Izabel, who created ceramic dolls painted with natural pigments of mineral origin. The everyday scenes of those who live in the Jequitinhonha Valley are portrayed in the washerwomen, the farmers, the readers, the florists, and among other creations of the matriarch. From the hands of Glória, daughter of Dona Izabel and mother of Andréia, were born, for example, the artisan and the bean picker.
Andreia’s creations, on the other hand, sold her first piece at age 14 at an exhibition in Rio de Janeiro, bring much of her relationship with motherhood and portray her family experience marked by the love and affection she has always felt. Currently, she has been raising the pot boys. Inspired by the pots and jugs that her grandmother started to make, and by the dolls that in the beginning were jugs, Andreia thought: “so, the dolls were born from the pots”.
Continues following – (Lori Figueiró/Disclosure)
Since childhood, Andreia already showed aptitude for modeling clay and decided to follow in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother, becoming the third generation of the family dedicated to the craft. However, she was the first to seek guidance outside the family environment, moving to Belo Horizonte with the aim of studying plastic arts at the Guignard School.
During her training, she specialized in painting and ceramics and, together with her colleagues, built a traditional clay oven for the artisans of Jequitinhonha. After completing her studies, she taught in Portugal and Spain, but returned to Santana do Araçuaí to continue the local tradition of family art. “Through clay you tell the story of a family, you tell dreams. Through a material as simple as clay, we create a universe of wealth”, defines Andreia.
– (Lori Figueiró/Disclosure)
The work of the Mendes family is driven by Rede Artesol – an NGO created 25 years ago with the aim of stimulating the entire artisanal production cycle in the country. It is worth noting that a large portion of the craft communities supported by Artesol are located in regions with few job prospects and in locations far from urban centers. The NGO aims to map, train and promote Brazilian artisans and craft groups to the world.
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