Avant Guardians

By Leticia Gonzales

Functional Pottery

Potter AJ Aburto fine tunes craft at Arts Center of Saint Peter

For AJ Aburto, a ceramic potter in St. Peter, pottery was an intricate part of growing up in Central America.

“In my home country of Nicaragua, I was surrounded by a rich pottery tradition my entire life,” Aburto said. “In my community, women made ceramic dishes to cook tortillas and eat our traditional food. Men used a manual kick wheel to make decorative pottery. Beyond just the function of pottery, tourists purchased ornamental pottery as souvenirs.”

Despite his upbringing, Aburto, 38, wasn’t formally introduced to pottery making until he was 25 years old. He was hired by Nicaraguan factory Filtron to fabricate water filters, which were purchased by nongovernmental organizations or NGOs.

Two years later, in 2009, he began working for an NGO, Potters for Peace, where he managed development projects that supported Nicaraguan artisans.

“My secondary role was to serve as a technical consultant for ceramic water filter factories in underdeveloped countries,” Aburto said. “While working for Potters for Peace, I focused on supporting artists, rather than producing my own work; however, the process of planning, performing, and participating in workshops offered me the opportunity to explore my personal interest in clay.”

His life was transformed following the April 18, 2018, citizens protests against the Nicaraguan government’s tax increases.

“These peaceful protests quickly escalated to violence, as a result my family relocated to the United States,” he said. “When I arrived in the U.S., I quickly found acceptance in the community of ceramic potters at the Art Center of Saint Peter and formed valuable friendships Aburto’s pottery focuses on beauty and functionality. Courtesy AJ Aburto

through the common language of clay.”

His skills quickly flourished once he moved to the United States and was introduced to an electric wheel, pre-processed stoneware clay, and high fire electric and gas kilns.

“In Nicaragua, I only had access to low fire terracotta clay that was locally dug up and processed. I could only fire pottery in a wood kiln because the cost of energy was too expensive to fire with gas or electric kilns. Since my pots were fired to a low temperature, I could not use glazes, so my pieces had to be heavily burnished and chattered to create texture and decoration.”

Aburto also gained experience by attending art fairs, conferences, and workshops, while also training alongside other artists, which exposed him to new techniques.

“What I have enjoyed the most is the ability to glaze pottery with bright and colorful lead-free food safe glazes; however, I continue to burnish and chatter each piece to achieve delicate and detailed results,” he said. “I also continue to make my own tools from salvaged materials rather than simply buying them from the clay supply store.”

Whether he is working in Nicaragua or St. Peter, Aburto said he has been able to exchange ideas with other artists and is inspired by the vibrant colors found in nature from his tropical homeland.

“I enjoy using white clay bodies like porcelain or white stoneware so the colors are purer and less obscured by darker clay. I focus on making functional pots such as a mug that fits comfortably in the hand or a teapot that doesn’t dribble in addition to serving as a decorative piece that can be elegantly displayed when not in use.”