Cherepos Artes
Why We Are Here?
Local people and local resources are the center of this project.
Vicky and Rosa—lifelong locals. They either walk their dogs… or just walk themselves, like the dogs got the day off. 😂 They were the first ones to ask me, “How much does the ceramic class cost?
Everything else—including tourism, technology, and outside support—comes second, only if it uplifts the heart of the community. This is about growing something from within, not bringing something in from the outside.
At the heart of the Cherepos Artes project is one simple truth: abundance is already here.
What I found in this location—facing the Barú River, backed by a hill rich with natural clay, and held by the quiet strength of the local community—is all the raw material we need to build something transformative.
We are converting an already-existing two-story structure into a fully functioning ceramic studio, computer lab, and clay processing zone. This hillside space is designed to flow with nature: from raw clay sourced and processed at the top, to creation and firing below. It's not just practical—it's poetic.
But the space is only half of the story.
The real power is the local people.
Costa Rica has so much creative potential—but very little access to free, high-quality art education. Most kids grow up without the opportunity to explore ceramics, design, or digital tools. I want to change that.
We envision Cherepos Artes as a bridge—a space for:
-
Local elementary and high school students
-
Working adults and curious beginners
-
Local elders
-
Children who simply need a place to play, shape, and discover
Large falling tree, three chainsaws, about ten strong local Ticos—return?
Homemade banana bread. Thank you, amigos!
Bring your loved one or come join the ceramic studio.
Free Art Education
I've taught and observed ceramics across Costa Rica for years. Every time there's a cost—even a small one—the people who need it most disappear. But when the class is free? They come. They stay. They thrive.
That’s why we created a work exchange model:
-
You help us process the local clay
-
You take part in the class for free
-
You use the clay you helped prepare
-
Extra clay? We’ll sell it to fund more free learning
The only extra costs? Materials like glazes or tools—things we’ll handle as accessibly as possible.
This is about redefining value—where effort, community, and earth are the currency, not exclusion.
PandaPantherCeramics 2023
Kids Clay - Free for locals kids
Material firing fees donated by S.O.S 🙏
Cherepos Clay
One rainy day, we were walking the property when we noticed something magical—super sticky mud! My kids kept slipping and falling, their rain boots stuck so deep I had to pull them out by hand. That sticky, yellowish clay instantly reminded me of the gentsuchi I touched in Mashiko, Japan. No smell, extra plastic, just beautiful workable clay—right here on our land.
As a lifelong clay lover, I knew I had to test it. During the school break in January, I had the kids help me process and throw the clay. The results were incredible. It works at cone 6 and even passed the final challenge: surviving direct fire in a smudge basin where we burned charcoal and resins like copal. The Cherepos said, "No problem!"
This clay works beautifully at low to mid-fire temperatures and holds up in traditional fire use. All my research and tests are ongoing—you can follow it all here: instagram.com/pandapantherceramics.
We’re still improving shrinkage and experimenting with temper. I’m also working on an engobe or tan body layer to create a lighter canvas for glazing. This isn’t just clay—it’s a creative goldmine waiting to be shaped.
Facility Overview
Imagine a place where clay tumbles downhill through handmade slides, swirls in mixing vats, and spins through pugmills with cranks and gears—all built with jungle ingenuity.
That’s our Process Zone—playful and practical, inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but instead of candy, we’re making earth-born magic.
At Cherepos Artes, the process itself is a story, and the building is the book.
1. Upper Process Zone (Top of the Hill)
-
Clay collected from the back hill
-
Filtered, mixed, and dried in open-air stations
-
Sent down a custom slide to the pugmill
2. Lower Process Zone
-
Clay blended and de-aired in the pugmill
-
Stored in a cool, shaded area
-
Filled with gears, levers, and a little magic
3. The Two-Story Building
-
Second Floor: Wheel zone, hand-building, and computer lab
-
First Floor: Ceramic lab, kiln, glaze zone
The layout teaches as much as the classes do. Every movement is part of the story.
The Studio
Educational Programs
Ceramics
Community ceramics includes wheel-throwing, hand-building with pinch and slab roller, along with glaze application techniques. Our first priority is free community classes through a work exchange model.
You don’t need money—just strength or heart.
Send someone you love—your teenage grandson with strong arms, perhaps—so your abuela can take the class. It's a family trade: labor for learning, strength for creativity.
Private sponsor classes are available for donors, corporations, and individual supporters who make this all possible.
Regular paid classes will resume once we’ve processed and stored enough clay to sustain them.
The morning wheel cycle takes place in the wheel zone, with evening hand-building class geared toward working adults. Occasional special workshops are hosted by guest ceramicists from abroad, covering advanced topics like tile making and traditional techniques.
Interest-based ceramic clubs are forming:
-
Glazing Alchemy Club
-
Throwing Techniques Circle
-
Clay & Mineral Processing Club — working toward a "Clay Map of Costa Rica" with regional samples.
We also hope to build a traditional Japanese-style noborigama kiln, using the hill’s slope for efficient firing. We’ll eventually add a mid- to large-sized gas kiln as well.
This project will also partner with local elementary, middle, and high schools for an after-school enrichment program.
PandaPantherCeramics 2022
Digital Arts
In this club, I’ll give you fun digital challenges that level you up without the boring stuff. You’ll learn real tools, solve real problems, the enviroment of other has same inerest, you chould be become the tech wizard of your family. I’ll teach Adobe programs for character design and animation, with the goal of producing short films—animated, live action, or a mix of both. Students will receive creative challenges and short game-time breaks to keep the joy alive. We’ll also have specialty club such as learning Japanese through anime and other unique pathways.
PandaPanther NYC 2014
Drawing Foundation
When I visited Arthouse Atenas, I felt: this is exactly what we need in our region—a hand-drawing class led by an enthusiastic, engaged teacher! When I was a kid growing up in Japan, our art classes started with a 5-minute quick draw. The teacher would score every drawing from 0 to 10. It felt harsh at the time—art being judged like math—but it gave me a lifelong ability to draw straight from my imagination without hesitation or distraction. That’s the energy I want to bring here. Every student begins with traditional drawing—no Wi-Fi, no apps, just pencil and paper and what’s inside your head.
ArtHouse Atenas 2023
Community Workshops
Another little memory from my Japanese education: believe it or not, we had actual home making classes—cooking and sewing for girls, and carpentry for boys. One year, I took the carpentry option and still remember cutting out animal-shaped puzzles with a band saw with full of excitement! After moving to the States, I realized how rare it is to know how to use a sewing machine—almost no one teaches it anymore, and most homes don’t even have one. But if you can use it, it opens up a world of creative fun! I want to give students the chance to learn hands-on skills they’ve never been exposed to before. That’s why I’d love to offer workshops in things like medicinal plants and crafts made from local, natural materials. and yes I will do sushi making or other Japanese cooking class.
All classes are free through work exchange. Only materials may have a small cost.
This space is open to anyone who wants to offer free classes
and share their skills with the community. If you’ve got something to teach and a heart full of gratitude for living here, the space is yours—free, if your class is free.
My time is limited, but my curiosity is endless. I wanna be a student too! 😂 There’s so much talent around—maybe someone can run music classes? Or start a chill chess club for our awesome elders? Let’s make this a place where ideas grow. Got one? Tell me!
About Cherepos
The name Cherepos isn’t just a name—it’s a story shouted into the wind.
Long ago, during the rainy season, the Barú River would rage with such force that crossing it was an act of bravery. The local Ticos—strong, relentless workers—would make the crossing each morning to get to the other side for work. One day, during a particularly wild flood, someone screamed out:
“¡Mirá esos Cherepos!”
“Look at those Cherepos!”
A nickname was born—half awe, half admiration—for the people who could laugh, cross, and keep going no matter how hard life swelled around them.
Since the 1960s, the Cherepo family has lived and thrived here. They are known for being crafty, resourceful, and deeply creative. In the 1980s, they were even known as Grupo de los Cherepos, a musical family group that brought rhythm and soul to the region.
Today, many family members work in construction—still creating with their hands, still shaping the world around them. Cherepos Artes honors that legacy by offering a new outlet for their creativity: ceramics, digital design, and shared cultural knowledge.
How You Can Support
Clay Is Our Currency. Time Is Our Gratitude.
We already have the vision, the clay, and the people. What we need now is the support to expand the tools, reach more students, and keep the studio running with dignity and joy.
At Cherepos Artes, clay is our currency.
Instead of charging tuition, we invite students and community members to participate in the clay journey—from collecting it on the hill, to processing it by hand, to shaping it into something meaningful.
That’s the work exchange model:
-
Help process the clay
-
Join classes for free
-
Use the clay you helped prepare
-
Extra clay? We sell it to fund more free education
Other Way To Support
1. Wheel Sponsorship – “Adopt a Wheel”
-
Goal: Grow from 4 wheels to 10
-
$2,000 = 1 new wheel (includes shipping & setup)
-
You get: 1 year of sponsor-class access, private wheel lessons, your name on a community wheel
2. Business & Corporate Sponsorship
-
Support: noborigama kiln, gas kiln, commercial pugmill, glaze tools
-
Future construction: performing arts + gym space, café, local-only art store
-
Return: sponsor recognition, private team classes, tax documentation
3. Computer Lab Support
-
Needs: projector, new computers, software, electricity + A/C
-
Sponsors get naming rights, private classes, and gratitude from the future of digital Costa Rica
4. Paid Ceramics Classes (Coming Soon)
-
For residents and tourists who can’t commit to work exchange
-
Starts once enough clay is processed
-
Helps fund the free programs
Every sponsor receives more than thanks. I give back my time: private classes, mentorships, or anything we can build together.
Friends on the board
My deepest gratitude goes to the friends who helped me get here—and who continue to walk this path with me. This project stands on your shoulders.
Closing Letter from Naomi
I still remember the moment I saw it.
A beautiful Chorotega pot—hand-carved, hand-polished, made with local clay and tradition passed down through generations. I held it in my hands in a souvenir store in Dominical. The price tag said: $25.
I almost cried.
Because I knew the truth: that pot probably took over a month to create. Hours of labor. Legacy. Skill. And yet—it was sitting there like a $25 legacy next to souvenir keychains and novelty mugs. Tragic—like seeing real local beauty hiding in a shelf of made-in-China tropical-themed duplicates.
But the price wasn’t wrong. It was simply what they were willing to accept—because for them, it wasn’t about the hours.
It was about the joy of making. About sharing. About living in connection with the earth, the water, and each other.
And I thought: Why not Cherepos? Why not here?
I never visited the Chorotega communities personally, but I’ve studied their process. I’ve learned from them. And I see something familiar in the Cherepos—the same abundance, the same rhythm, the same possibility.
So here I am—a Japanese woman with clay under her fingernails and stories in her heart. I came here thinking I’d build a small studio. But I found something much bigger: clay, pristine water, clean air—then family, legacy, and local strength.
Cherepos Artes is my gift back. A space where local kids can grow, create, and learn. A place where tourists can witness and honor true Costa Rican creativity. A movement where education, art, and tradition walk hand-in-hand.
And one day, when I’m gone, I hope the locals will carry it on—and take it further than I ever dreamed.
This is for them. This is for you. This is for the future.
— Naomi Nishimura (AKA Pandapantherceramics)
Founder, Cherepos Artes
