DVD Video - Three Generations - The Ceramic Art of Nicaragua

The only video documenting the ceramic artisans of San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua I am aware of is a home made documentary video Three Generations - The Ceramic Art of Nicaragua. The video documents the current artisan environment of the San Juan pueblo.

An important development in the marketing of the work of this artisan community is that it be linked with other indigenous communities of the South West and other Indian traditions. Because Nicaragua's cultural past is very sparsely documented there is very little written that will assist the educational process associated with linking the modern work of the San Juan artisans to an ancient past.

Because so much is known about the Maya linking the cultural heritage of this Nicaragua pueblo to the Maya is quite natural. As the video documents in a trip to the site of Copan in Honduras, this is the southern territory of the Maya what was happening further south?

The link to the Maya is further expanded by the link of the Maya and the Nicoya tribes of modern day Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The DVD starts with a conversation with Don Gregorio Bracamonte known in the village for recuperation the lost decorative style of the Nicoya. Over the years I have seen many ancient Nicoya sculptures in museums such as the Museum of modern History in NYC, even the local North Carolina Museum has a significant jaguar sculpture...in every single example the work is associate with Costa Rica. Actually I have not seen Nicaragua listed in any major museum regarding the ancient cultures of Central America.

That reality is what sparked the idea for the video. As the market developed for the Three Generation artists the project came together and I produced in with a friend in Virgina Beach, Cory Langley. The video documents the recapturing of the historic design and technique. Just as important it explains the contemporary transition introduced by Helio Gutierrez picked up by the third generation artists and now expanded upon throughout the community by the dozens of work shops in the village.

I will be placing the full 21 minute documentary online soon as the original 2000 copies I had made are almost gone. If you are interested in a copy contact me. Paul (919) 264-3741 or by e-mail: gallerynica@yahoo.com

Nicaragua Ceramic Art

Nicaragua ceramic art is getting recognition around the world. Here in the US the master artisans of San Juan de Oriente Nicaragua are bringing the ceramic treasures out of their humble Nicaraguan pueblo for all to see.

I went to Nicaragua with the Peace Corps in 1995. Over the past 10 years I have worked on marketing the indigenous ceramic work of San Juan potters. I 2001 i started organizing artist visits with Juan Boza Gutierrez.

We built our business around the concept of three generations as Juan learned the ceramic tradition from his Godfather Don Gregorio Bracamonte and Uncle Helio Gutierrez. Currently Luis Enrique Gutierrez is participating in a three and a half trip sharing his ceramic art around the country.

We are linking this blog to our website and other pertinent information about Nicaragua and our goal to document the ancient and contemporary Nicaragua culture.