Each heritage item preserves symbols which reflect feelings, thoughts and popular beliefs. Knowing these symbols and their meanings is part of the work of folk artists who succeed in passing them on to new generations. The methodology of this exercise can be adapted to any cultural context.
This working approach can be adapted to any context where the aim is to learn the craft techniques for making a heritage object based on art. In this case, painting is the field of artistic expression.
The purpose of this exercise is to recognize the oral tradition that has been maintained by people in times when it was forbidden to study the Valencian language and even discouraged from speaking it, all through ceramics.
The practical activity of learning a traditional craft can lead to a rich understanding of the intangible heritage that surrounds it. Here, the example is a very typical Spanish piece of pottery: the “botijo” (earthenware pitcher).
The exercise can be used in adult education as well as in schools. It fosters the ability to analyse heritage artefacts and identify cultural particularities.
