Activities
The Ollerías Basque Pottery Museum is a must if you have an interest in pottery.
Please contact Museum management to arrange special visits.
24/11/2004 Workshop for university students
The Museum organised special visits for students at the University of the Basque Country’s Faculty of History and Archaeology.
The visit was coordinated by professors Carlos Venegas and Belen Bengoetxea and adapted to the students’ needs. It consisted of a practical lesson in pottery techniques, with an explanation about different kiln processes and finishes, a comparison between pottery fired in reducing atmosphere kilns and mirror surfacing and sgraffito techniques.
2/11/2004 Clay sounds
A special day was dedicated to “family tourism” on occasion of International Tourism Day 2004.
Visitors were not only able to work with clay but also take part in a musical installation. Suspended pottery vessels in a carillon-like arrangement, and other pottery vessels duly tuned and arranged in order were used to make music by children and visitors of all ages by merely gently tapping them with wooden sticks.
This workshop was organised by music teacher Mikel Prieto.
29-30/10/2004 9th Congress of the Ceramology Association
On October 30, 2004 a round table entitled “The restoration and preservation of pottery applied to architecture” was organised as part of the 9 th Annual Ceramology Association Congress held in the Robert Brillas Cultural Centre, Espulgues de Llobregat, based on the theme “Tradition and modernity. Pottery in Modernism”.
Mr Jaume Coll, chairman of the Association and manager of the “González Martí” National Pottery Museum in Valencia, was the moderator. The round table participants were Mr Antoni Cumella, industrial potter, Mr Antoni González, head of the Local Architectural Heritage Department of the Diputación de Barcelona, Mr Nuno Santos Viñero, chairman of the UNESCO Forum in Portugal and Ms Neus Zapata, a restoration expert with the ACRA company.
07-12/2004 Clay testing from the Lanciego brick works
Clay tests have been conducted to complete information about the Lanciego brick works in Alava-La Rioja. The dig is being conducted by a team under archaeologist Victorino Palacios Mendoza. Twenty-three clay samples were obtained from the site. Once they are processed and fired, they will help to identify the quarry which provided the clay for the brick factory.
02/2004 Collaboration with the team of archaeologists of the Cathedral of Santa María in Vitoria
Knowledge of production techniques is essential in order to appropriately interpret the pottery remains found on a site. In the workshop of the Ollerías Museum we help archaeological analysts by conducting clay tests and using different procedures to interpret markings, faults and finishes related to pottery remains.
In October and December, the Museum collaborated with the team of archaeologists of the Cathedral of Santa María in Vitoria-Gasteiz, under the leadership of doctor Agustín Azkarate.
We provided information on markings, physical features of different clays and finishes.
We also requested information on the periods when pottery remains similar to some of our Museum exhibits were used.