One-Year MujerArtes Studio Anniversary Exhibit

Join MujerArtes Cooperative de Esperanza Peace & Justice Center as we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the opening of our adobe/compressed earth block studio! Opening Reception is Monday, September 3, 2018 at noon.

This is the perfect place to find a handmade gift that not only captures the beauty of life, but also the realities of living as a mujer, as a member of the working class community, as an immigrant, and more.

This earthen studio is the first adobe commercial structure in San Antonio in over 100 years. The 1,200 sq. ft. CEB studio includes a large work area, storage area, kiln room, kitchen, and gender neutral bathrooms.  Part of the work of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center is honoring the history and traditions of our indigenous, Mexican and Mexican- American people. This new building is created as an homenaje to the indigenous peoples of San Antonio who built with adobe and the working class people of the Westside and San Antonio. Esperanza hopes that this CEB building becomes a model of environmental, economic, and cultural sustainability.
 

Started in 1995 and operating out of a house in San Antonio’s Westside, the MujerArtes Women’s Clay Cooperative has been among Esperanza’s groundbreaking programs for over 22 years. MujerArtes draws thousands of visitors to their exhibits and studio each year, holding exhibits at the studio, Esperanza gallery and community venues including art fairs, schools, and libraries throughout the city year round. Annual exhibits include Peace Market, Mother’s Day, Día de la Virgen, Dia de los Muertos, and others.

At the MujerArtes studio the women, with the guidance of experienced ceramicists, shape the clay into historic snapshots of their lives as workers, heads of households and marginalized women in a country where they have always had to struggle. International artists/cooperatives Irene Aguilar, Enedina Vasquez, Taller Leñateros and Domitila Dominguez are invited for annual cultural exchanges.Through cooperative efforts, the women create an environment where each woman is a teacher and student by way of their creativity and cultural experiences.

For over 22 years, our women’s clay cooperative has facilitated the cultural grounding of low-income women in San Antonio’s Westside through clay workshops 5 days a week and over 5 exhibits annually. We have witnessed the growth of women, many of whom have never received formal artistic training, resulting in a diverse group of talented and accomplished artists.