ARCHBOLD, Ohio — A local potter and artist from Archbold participated in a week long cultural exchange program in November that allowed him to take his talent for pottery and share it with people in Nepal. He says learned a lot from the experience himself.
Mark Nafziger, is the owner of Brush Creek Pottery in Archbold, who has been perfecting his craft for 43 years.
“I’m a functional potter. I make pots for people to use. I mean, I hope it’s nice to look at. I want it to be, you know, a thing of beauty,” said Nafziger.
Recently, Nafziger was selected to participate in the Arts Envoy program, a cultural exchange program within the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that connects U.S. artists with international audiences for an exchange of skills and knowledge.
Nafziger says he was one of the first potters to be invited to participate in the program.
“That was an exciting experience. That was a humbling experience. it was totally unexpected,” said Nafziger.
Mark says pottery is a source of income for many of the women in Nepal and they were eager to learn new methods to make their art more appealing.
“This was mainly focused on a group of women artisans, and it was toward the goal of economic empowerment on their part; to take a traditional craft, working in an area where pottery has been made for not hundreds of years, but thousands of years, and to try to bring a little bit more of a modern take,” said Nafziger.
Nafziger says he learned a lot from students throughout the week and says it was an honor sharing and connecting.
“I really gained was an appreciation for potters working with very limited access to supplies and materials,” said Nafziger. “I think it’s very important in today’s world to build those bridges of understanding of cultures and through the arts. I think is an ideal way to build those bridges.”
Nafziger says he hopes to continue to inspire as many people as he can with his pottery.
This article was published by Dominique O’Neill on 2024-12-22 04:59:00
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