Clay, the word and history: a project for the strengthening of artisanal activities in the high Ribeira Valley region, in the state of São Paulo

• Grant number: 06/57441-5
• Support Opportunities: Science Centers in the State of São Paulo Research Program
• Start date: February 01, 2007
• End date: July 31, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Arts
• Agreement: VITAE
• Principal Investigator: Olga Ferreira Coelho Sansone
• Grantee: Olga Ferreira Coelho Sansone
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present project aims at contributing to the strengthening of the production of craftsman's clay pieces in the High Ribeira Valley region, by means of educational and cultural interventions and the offer of conditions for the preservation and diffusion of the popular learning produced there. Proposed by a university located in the capital of the state of São Paulo, the project focuses, mainly, on the Apiaí Artisan's House and has the support of the municipality's Secretary of Culture and of the Association of Artisans from Encapoeirado District. To achieve this general objective, the project's proponents intend to: improve the process of transmission of production techniques through the organization of workshops directed at those interested in the activity; retrieve, record and help preserve the historical roots of this production by means of oral history techniques, as well as promote their diffusion through different media, in the region and outside it; help prepare local people to give continuity to the proposed actions, thus conferring greater vitality to the production of the craftsman's pieces proper. This study's general purpose is, therefore, to make viable the access of the new local generations and of the public in general to this production, which is culturally and economically relevant and is justified by the possibility of fostering sustainable development in the Ribeira Valley. (AU)