In mid January 2018 we set up in Mexico City for 6-weeks to conduct a ceramic hand-building workshop for a group of 10-12 girls and boys from the F. Camino A Casa shelter home  @fcaminoacasa supported by the Comision Unidos @unidosvstrata organization. We raised $2,965 through Go Fund Me + $626.01 through @atelieranu ceramic auction for a total of $3591.01. The project plan was to work with clay and benefit from all the healing that play and artistic expression allows, and then have an exhibition/auction of the work where the proceeds would be donated back to Comision Unidos. 

We met Comision Unidos founder Rosi Orozco last year in Delhi while exhibiting the ceramic work from the first Aanu Seva workshop. She invited us to conduct the workshop in Mexico, and after meeting the organization on a quick trip in Nov 17, the wheels started in motion..

Comision Unidos works to eradicate human trafficking through a 5 pronged approach: firstly, protection and care for victims: they have a shelter which provides a safe home, support and education for 12 girls, a support system for survivors for their integration into society after they leave the shelter system and this October they opened the first shelter of its kind in Mexico for boys. Secondly political influence to affect change top-down; Thirdly through prevention, creating awareness and research to better understand the complex field. Fourthly, citizen participation to build a community of support and shared information on the topic and finally, communication of the subject through publications and social media to spread information to the world.

Before leaving NY we received a generous donation. Many thanks to Jim and the folks at Ceramic Supply, Inc @clayplaceatstandard (our go to supplier NY + NJ for everything ceramic you could need) who sent us some supplies including 10 pottery tool kits with all the essentials needed for a beginner student.

Once arriving in Mexico City we had a meeting with the wonderful people at pottery studio Art Ceramica @arta_ceramica. They were excited about the project and opened their arms to let me work in their studio space during my stay, and provide glazing and firing facilities for the pieces we’ll be making with Comision Unidos. Based in Obrera in Mexico City since 2005, Arta Ceramica was founded by Gloria Rubio and Marta Ruiz - it features studio space and classes, as well as its own line of products as well as facilitating projects from outside artists and makers. Arta became my home during my time in Mexico, their energy and support made the project possible at the darkest hours!

As soon as the partnership with Arta was fixed, we started making tests in the studio. Clay and humidity differ in every region and every country, so there is always a period of testing to understand what you are working with. Lesson planning with major unknowns such as exact number of students, their ages, and the amount of time we’ll have per lesson, is not easy! We decided a good first lesson would be simple plates to teach rolling, and using existing forms as a mold for shape and using found textures for surface design. We love the idea introduced to us by Arta Ceramica of using styrofoam forms for the base of the “slump” mold. It’s cheap and light weight, it just needs to be prepped with plastic or wet newspaper so that the clay doesn’t stick.

The final part of the puzzle came together once we visited the F. Camino A Casa shelter home for girls that we'll be working with. These amazing people, dedicated to providing a real home and tools for life for these often forgotten cases. Their mission is ".. to rehabilitate and reintegrate girls and young women victims of trafficking for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation into society and into a healthy and productive life." They were formed in 2005, and opened their refuge for minors in 2007, and since then almost 200 women (mostly from Mexico, but also from surrounding countries of Guatemala, Belize and Honduras) have passed through their care system to go onto university or integrate back in society. The location of the shelter home is confidential it’s a 24hr high security location where the girls live and spend most of their time. If they have needs outside the facility, they are accompanied with a chaperone. Since their lapses in eduction vary depending on their circumstances, most are home-schooled. They have a live in psychologist, a lawyer that helps them with the arduous road of prosecution cases against their captures, life planning to figure out what they want their future to be and how to get there, and extracurricular activities - like our ceramics class. The home is spacious and bright, with a gym, computer room, living-rooms, and a small staff that provide a structure and familial support.

Scheduling and headcount for the workshop and permission for access to the shelter home came together at the very last minute …which was quite stressful. We were finally given conformation that we would teach two, 3hr classes per week for 10-8 girls from @fcaminoacasa and one 3hr class per week for the 2 boys from the newly formed first of its kind in Mexico home for trafficked boys. Despite the last minute stresses of confirming a translator only the night before and running around a new city searching for materials with only survival Spanish (in particular the proven impossible task of trying to convince unamused dry-cleaners to sell us plastic) things came together for the first class. A huge win was confirming one of the teachers/ceramists from Arta Liz Mitre @lizmitre as the translator and assistant for the classes.

The first lesson started with a pictorial presentation on history of Mexican ceramics and then we moved onto making simple plates. The girls seemed amused by my terrible Spanish, but were engaged and picked up the techniques with impressive speed - and after the class said how much fun they had. There were even a couple girls who hung around after class to continue working on their pieces. One girl said she wanted to be an orthodontist when she grew up and she felt like working with clay in detail like this with her hands would be good training.

For the girl’s second class @lizmitre and I continued the lesson by teaching how to make “pinch pots.” This is the most basic shape that’s been made in history all over the world. A simple cup shape that’s formed from pressing your thumb inside a ball of clay, while pinching with your outer fingers along the outside in a spiral motion. The sides can be extended using the “coiling” method - rolling out long snake like pieces of clay and attaching them to the sides using “slip” (a paste made from water and clay). Building on this basic shape in future lessons we’ll be able to make bowls, tall cups, vases or any shape that needs curved edges. We were impressed at how well the girls picked this up.

The main project for the 2018 workshop was Animals. We started with a quick discussion about spirit animals and then girls picked animals that resonated with them to make. Some students were a little daunted by the assignment and were ready to walk away from the lesson, with some brainstorming and coaxing we were thankfully able to find an animal project for each student that excited them. We planned for the lessons to increase in complexity, from pure skills and execution in the first few classes to an individual project that would push creative thinking...we knew this would be challenging but I hoped a good type of challenging where we could exercise our creative choices and breakdown a problem together. Regardless we weren’t expecting the resistance, so we're glad we were able to push through and convince them because the results were impressive.

We closed Aanu Seva 2018 at @arta_ceramica with a private gathering with the talented participants to present them their finished work, say our goodbyes, and celebrate with some cake. Sadly Comision Unidos was unable to follow through with full art exhibition/money raising event which was our initial agreement. The mission was a rollercoaster, and even though this was VERY disappointing conclusion we were thankful to know that the girls and boys had a wonderful experience. It was deeply moving to be told by one of the students that what she appreciated the most was that someone wanted take the time to invest in them. We couldn’t be more grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such brave bright souls, who have so much strength inside and hopes for their future thanks to the incredible support of their family at @fcaminoacasa. We’re so happy with the student’s growth and their flourishing talents as artists - one student said she often came to class felling frustrated, but left feeling happy; another said she could feel how working with her hands helped her work through her frustrations. The workshop was a success.