ARTESANOS COLLABORATE WITH THEIR ENGLISH TUTORS REMOTELY:
ANOTHER PANDEMIC ADAPTATION
In the fall of 2019 FOFA established an English-language tutoring partnership with the Oaxaca Lending Library (OLL, www.oaxlibrary.org ) to help FOFA’s young artists improve their communication skills with potential customers. OLL is a hub of activity and resources for Oaxaca's socially engaged ex-pat community. The program was developed  in the capable hands of Fay Henderson Diaz, Chair of OLL Outreach, and Suzanne Grant, an ESL teacher and Outreach Committee member. Knowledgeable about the conditions the artestanos face, Suzanne developed a customized curriculum designed to equip the artists with useful words and phrases, ranging from prices and times to the artists’ technique and personal stories. We featured this “splendid collaboration” in an earlier newsletter.

Shortly before the pandemic hit, Suzanne and Fay helped organize and orient a second wave of tutors. Since in-person lessons became impossible, these OLL tutors re-grouped to offer tutoring online, joined by several FOFA board members and volunteers. Twelve pairings of tutors and artists have worked together remotely since January, with most ongoing still. We share three tutors’ portrayals of their enriching collaborations.
PAMELA MONTSERRAT LÓPEZ GONZÁLEZ, Ceramicist from San Bartolo Coyotepec
Written by LAURIE BANGS, Minneapolis, Minnesota, OLL member
The pandemic may have turned our world topsy-turvy this past year, but FOFA soldiered on connecting Oaxacan artisans with English teachers, a program that is an enriching exchange for both parties. I feel lucky to participate in the program for a second time and really have enjoyed the experience of teaching English to a Oaxacan artisan. While working online this year from my home in Minnesota was quite a contrast to working in person last year in Oaxaca, I was pleased with what Pamela and I were able to accomplish together with a little creativity, some dedication and a smorgasbord of online resources.

Pamela Montserrat López González, from San Bartolo Coyotepec, has followed in her family’s business of making blackware ceramics, the specialty of the village. However, like many young artisans, she is pursuing another career at the same time, teaching art to elementary students in a city near the nation’s capital. Fortunately, Pamela had a decent internet hook-up in the apartment she shares there with two other teachers and we were able to make good use of the Zoom platform.

Our initial lessons focused on creating a friendly and inviting dialogue, such as one Pamela might have with a potential customer. From there we worked on shaping a lengthy explanation in English of her artisanal process, which I found fascinating. This is where the student becomes the teacher, and the teacher becomes the student.
Blackware pottery from San Bartolo Coyotepec - in Spanish, barro negro - is world famous and is available in many shops throughout Mexico. Pamela explained, “the clay from the mine is collected at the foot of a hill in the town.” Her family cleans it and kneads it with their feet -- yes, their feet! -- in preparation for turning this most elemental substance into beautiful and useful objects. While much of the pottery they make is functional, Pamela especially likes to make decorative pieces based on nature, such as an owl or turtle -- forms that have symbolic meaning for her. “My favorite is a turtle on the way to the sea with her children. The turtle represents how a mother can suffer for her children.”
The color of the pottery is not a glaze, but rather the natural black color of the clay that deepens when fired. The sheen on many of the pieces is achieved by burnishing. “We use a quartz rock and a reed to polish the surface of the pieces,” explained Pamela. Many of the finest pieces are incised with decorative patterns.
After Pamela and I crafted a script to describe her process and practiced it, I asked her what else she would like to learn. Pamela describes herself as an introvert, and she replied that she needed to practice conversation and pronunciation to build her confidence. I found a wealth of helpful resources online, especially those that provided exercises and opportunities for practice. In the process, I got to know Pamela better and tried to capitalize on her interests. For instance, she has a little dog she loves, so I looked for a lesson about a dog, including a video I shared with her. Because the topic was of high interest to Pamela, she got caught up in telling stories about her family’s dogs. Her shyness fell away and her English was off and running!
Pamela and I worked together twice a week for several months. I hope it was as useful a time for her as it was enjoyable for me. That’s the fun of being a FOFA English coach -- the teacher learns as much as the student!
JOSEFINA LAZO GUTIÉRREZ, Weaver from Teotitlán del Valle
Photos (except the ones immediately above and below) and captions by Josefina Lazo Gutiérrez
Written by MARGEE ROGERS, Norwalk, Connecticut, FOFA Board Member
I have been teaching English to Josefina Lazo Gutiérrez, a Oaxacan weaver from Teotitlán del Valle, for the past few months so that she can sell to English-speaking tourists at her weaving collective’s store, Bii Dauu.
 
We meet twice a week in the evenings. We start each class with a conversation, often pretending that I am a customer at the store. I asked her to take photos of some of the items in the store so that she can “sell” them to me. She has become such a good salesperson that I bought one of her husband’s rugs and assisted her in the sale of five shawls to friends! The second half of the class is devoted to grammar and vocabulary. She uses what she has learned to complete homework assignments that we review in the following class.
 
I have learned a great deal about the dyeing and weaving processes and, more importantly, about Josefina’s life. While life during the pandemic has been difficult for all of us, it has hit young mothers especially hard. Her three young daughters are at home all day with virtual school classes and Josefina, in addition to weaving her beautiful shawls, is their at-home teacher. She also cooks, shops, cleans and mothers, with one or another of her daughters sometimes joining the class to imitate her English.
 
When Josefina began learning how to talk about her daily life and schedule during the pandemic, she started sending me photo illustrations. In what follows she shares glimpses of the richness and fullness of her life and the artistic process that she describes in English sentences, many of which are enchanting.
“I go to the mill in the morning. I make tortillas in the afternoon.”
"I washed my aprons today. My favorite colors are red, blue and purple."
“We use all natural dyes. This is indigo. It starts green then is blue.”

This is the rug I bought from Josefina’s husband with which she sent an accompanying card.
“The stars in the sky are many. We chose some for your home.”
“I washed three new red shawls.”

Josefina wove this shawl for my sister-in-law who is undergoing chemotherapy. It, too, arrived with an accompanying note.
"A shawl is a hug of love. When you feel the warmth of the shawl, remember that it is my hug for you."
LAURA RAYMUNDO SÁNCHEZ, Dried Flower artist from San Antonino Castillo Velasco
Written by JUDITH REITZES, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, FOFA volunteer
What a pleasure it has been to work with Laura Raymundo Sánchez! I have been her English tutor for the past few months. Having retired almost two years ago from teaching English as a Second Language in person in Philadelphia for many years, I was not sure how it would be to participate in FOFA’s online tutoring program during COVID. Although it has been very different, and at times challenging, it is such a joy to see Laura up close two times a week on Zoom. Over time, we have connected on a more personal level and practice English easily.
Laura lives in San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca, a small town south of Oaxaca City, and Zooms from the family workshop in their home. This is where she creates beautiful pieces covered with colorful dried flowers, flores inmortales -- flowers that never die as they are known. These vibrant flowers are cultivated primarily by Laura’s father in a nearby field, although at times the whole family participates in this work. Once harvested, the flowers are brought to their house to dry for three days. Laura told me proudly that her family, including her parents and older sister Monserrat, have practiced this craft for four generations.
During one lesson, she shared photos of her grandparents and great-grandparents. As we Zoom for the class, I see her work hanging on the walls. I also see bright Oaxacan sunshine and hear birds and roosters, which provided a dramatic contrast to my life this winter in Pennsylvania.
Together we have created a relaxed atmosphere for learning by focusing on Laura’s interests, daily life, and work as an artesana. We both share a love of flowers, strawberries, ice cream, and of course, pan dulce. Laura is a quick learner who has picked up many useful expressions and English language structures. At the same time, I incorporate vocabulary around her work: banana leaf, palm, cutting, sewing, attaching, needle, thread, wire, embroidery and name all the colors. We create dialogues to practice speaking with customers; as Laura shows me which piece she is working on, we record the step-by-step process of her work in writing.
Recently Laura has worked on a heart made of banana leaves that, like the many other hearts she has created, will be decorated with a variety of colors. When I asked her how she makes her selections, she explained that her choices reflect her mood. “I can work when I am happy or sad, but the tone of the colors change.” For Laura, pale yellow flowers reflect sadness, while purple and orange express happiness.
During this year of the pandemic, I hope our practicing English together has helped Laura feel less isolated. I know our collaboration has done this for me. Laura is such a caring, talented and motivated student. I look forward to our classes and the continuing opportunity to learn from each other.
Laura’s winning piece in 2016 FOFA-MEAPO young artists’ contest.
The daunting pandemic has required creative adaptations of all kinds. Hearty thanks to Fay Henderson Diaz and Suzanne Grant of Oaxaca Lending Library’s Outreach Committee for nimbly re-inventing this important English tutoring program and to our volunteer tutors who have risen to the challenge of helping artesanos sell their inspiring artwork.
Thank you!

275 Central Park West, #1-C
New York, New York 10024