Workshop for students of La Milagrosa school in Salamanca

On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 25, first and second ESO students from the La Milagrosa school in Salamanca came to our workshop to learn about the potter's trade. In the context of the most Roman week in Mérida, during the Emerita Lvdica , this activity was scheduled in which the potter Julián Ortega Durán illustrated them for a few hours so that they had a general and practical approach to this ancient trade. All of this, accompanied and guided by their Art and History teachers.

Fig. 1. Julián explaining to the students.

After paying close attention to the explanations about the trade, understanding the difference between clay and ceramics, and observing a demonstration of work on the wheel, the students were able to make pieces to their liking. With a lot of creativity they chose between the different proposed techniques and produced bowls, saucers, coins and medals that would later be fired so that they can keep as a souvenir of their visit to the first Hispanic capital.

Fig. 2. Some of the pieces made by the students

Among the things they were able to learn and observe was a recreation of a Roman wheel (with certain licences) that the potter had built to display at his stall in the Roman Market of the Temple of Diana during the days of the festival. The curiosity and restlessness of the boys led them to ask many questions that the potter answered with pleasure, happy to see in them his kind interest and so much desire to learn and learn. In short, a very pleasant and didactic activity.

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Figure 1. Courtesy of La Milagrosa Salamanca School.

Figure 2. Photograph made by the author.