Mesa Verde Black-on-White Pottery Workshop

Replica pottery after firing. Photo by Karen R. Adams. Copyright © 2004 Karen R. Adams. The above photo may be used by the media to accompany this press release. No other use is authorized. Photographer credit and copyright notice is required.

March 10, 2005. Timely through May 1, 2005.
For more information, call 1-800-422-8975, ext. 130.

Cortez, Colorado
Spend a week this summer learning the ancient art of pottery making in the traditions of the ancestral Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest. The Mesa Verde Black-on-White Pottery Workshop, held at Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado, from June 19 through June 25, gives you the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the ancestral Pueblo Indians as you study their lifestyles and recreate their pottery.

Beginning nearly fifteen centuries ago, the tradition of pottery making in the American Southwest changed the lives of its makers forever. Pottery was vital in daily life for preparing, serving, and storing food as well as an expression of beauty and an important element in ceremonies. By the thirteenth century, pottery had evolved into the classic style that today is referred to as Mesa Verde Black-on-white.

Guided by educators and potters, Gregory S. Wood and Paul Ermigiotti, this hands-on workshop will teach participants about ancient pottery-making technology and recent archaeological and ethnographic studies related to pottery making. With local clays, yucca brushes, and paint made from indigenous plants, you will create your own replica vessels, using centuries-old pottery-making tools and techniques.

Greg Wood is an art educator who has worked with native clays for more than thirty years. His replicas of ancient pottery are made using the tools and techniques believed to have been used prehistorically. A Crow Canyon educator since 1990, Paul Ermigiotti has taught the archaeology of the Mesa Verde region to thousands of adults and children. Paul shares his knowledge of ancestral Pueblo Indian life along with his artistic talent and genuine respect for the clay.

A visit to the Anasazi Heritage Center to see their impressive collection of ancient vessels and tours of Crow Canyon's lab and curation room are all part of the week-long workshop.

The workshop begins on Sunday, June 19, and ends on Saturday, June 25. The cost of the one-week workshop is $1,095 per person and includes Crow Canyon tuition, supplies, accommodations, all meals, and local transportation after your arrival in Cortez.

Crow Canyon is a not-for-profit organization offering excavation, workshop, and travel programs in the greater Southwest and throughout the world.