Selma Calheira

Selma Calheira is a Brazilian ceramist, based in Ibirataia, Bahia. In the fifties, at the age of 38, she founded her own ceramics studio and named it Cores da Terra - Colours of the Earth. Calheira chose this name as it reflects one of her core values, which is to make sustainable art. Another core value carried out by the artist is social responsibility as she trains the people of Bahia to work as professional ceramists at Cores da Terra. In this sense she actively helps the local community to flourish, providing jobs that allow families to live and work in their own cities. In 1996, Calheira was even awarded the prize Gente que Faz, for her work with economically disadvantaged people in one of the poorest areas in Brazil. Selma Calheira’s work is playful yet sophisticated. Her designs are made of organic resources such as clay and natural pigments.