336: Diana Benavidez on the art and politics of her piñatas

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Diana Benavidez, who builds piñatas that reflect her binational identity as an artist in the San Diego/Tijuana border region. She often places her work in installation formats with multimedia and technological aspects that help her craft stories about place and culture. In our interview we talk about growing up on both sides of the border, the history of piñatas, and the effect surveillance has on the border region. For more information on Diana visit www.dbenavidez.com.   On today’s Amaco Community Corkboard we have Clay Week Open Studio, an international outreach event that celebrates clay, community, and creativity. Join us on the weekend of October 9-11, 2020 for a celebration of clay around the world! To keep this year’s open studio safe for all participants we encourage you to move your events to an online format. Virtual demonstrations, lectures, and online sales are just a few ways you can engage your community through Clay Week Open Studios. To sign up today visit www.clayweek.org/openstudio.   This episode of Tales of a Red Clay Rambler is sponsored in part by Cousins in Clay. Cousins in Clay is a group pottery show founded on kinship, recognizing that ceramic artists worldwide are related to one another through the common bond of clay. This year’s show takes place ONLINE at www.cousinsinclay.com starting September 5th at 11 am, and includes the work of Michael Kline, Bruce Gholson, Samantha Henneke, Courtney Martin, and Kyle Carpenter, as well as guests Lindsay Rogers, Michael Connelly, and Lydia Johnson. Visit www.cousinsinclay.com and follow @cousinsinclay on Instagram for more information.   Michiana Pottery tour is a proud sponsor of the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler podcast. Join 26 potters from around the country for the 9th-annual Michiana Pottery Tour, happening virtually beginning on September 26th. You'll find a list of participating potters, links to their webstores, and more information at www.michianapotterytour.com or on our Instagram page: @michianapotterytour