 Preserving,‭ ‬at least part,‭ ‬of their culture as well,‭ ‬is just very interesting.

‎	‏Of the types of Ildefonso pottery. Personally I strongly prefer the black pots. They're just so beautiful and mysterious. These black pots have a black or bluish black base color,‭ ‬and greyish colored designs. Though I've never seen one of these pieces in person‭ (‬they're extremely expensive‭)‬,‭ ‬from what I can tell of photographs,‭ ‬these pots are very uniform for hand building. The coloring and designs is also quite perfect. After all,‭ ‬the black pots are what the entire Martinez family is known for. Although,‭ ‬I cannot deny the beauty in any of the pots‭; ‬black,‭ ‬red,‭ ‬polychromatic. They are all very beautiful. However,‭ ‬I simply prefer the black pots.

‎	‏The process of making the black pottery is quite interesting. Some might even think it's a bit gross,‭ ‬but growing up with ranching grandparents,‭ ‬it doesn't bother me at all. They cover the pit and pottery in dung during the firing process. Maria and her husband Julian actually helped to develop this method of firing in New Mexico. As for the beautiful coloring effects,‭ ‬this is achived by a variety of colored slips and burnishing,‭ ‬not only in the black pots,‭ ‬but also in the red and polychromatic pots as well. The Martinez family,‭ ‬including Adam and Santana has caried on this tradition after Maria's death.

‎ ‏	In conclusion,‎ ‏though I do prefer certain pots over others,‭ ‬I am a huge fan of Adam and Santana's work,‭ ‬and actually,‭ ‬the entire Martinez family's work in general.  I chose to do this report on the team or Adam and Santana Martinez‭ ‬,‭ ‬their black pottery to be more specific,‭ ‬for two reasons really. The first being that I have always highly admired Native American art works. I've always found something incredibly deep about it. The second reason is because the unique and stunny beauty of these pots is what peaked my interest in ceramics in the first place. If it were not for pots like this,‭ ‬I might never have taken any ceramics course,‭ ‬and I certainly would not have found the joy in working with clay that I have found. It is my hope that the Martinez family continues to pass down this craft and these traditions so that further generation can enjoy these beautiful and inique pots,‭ ‬as I and many other's have.

‎	‏There has been a lot of talk in the United States regarding gay marriage. Both arguments for and against the subject have gained momentum. It is no secret to those who know me,‭ ‬that I am‭ ‬100%‭ ‬for gay marriage,‭ ‬and gay rights in general,‭ ‬so I'd be lying if I said that this paper doesn't hold any personal meaning to me. One argument against gay marriage,‭ ‬that has struck me the deepest,‭ ‬and I believe is the most worthy of studying.