Selma Calheira's
(Earth Tones)

A commitment to the earth and its people

Humanity can be greatly benefited when a determined individual with an artistic vision and deep compassion for the less advantaged is able to turn that vision into realty.  Selma Abdon Calheira  (Pronounced: Cal-yéira) is such an individual.

The fruits, vegetables, cactuses, guinea fowl, ceramic flowers, pencils and candleholders are the products of Cores da Terra -  Earth Tones.  The name itself was coined by Selma because of her lifelong interest in clay and an endless research into natural pigments.  Even as child in the countryside of Ibirataia in northern Brazil, she learned to sculpt clay and fire it to create magnificent ceramic pieces.

Selma's journey has resulted in an amazingly successful enterprise which has brought extraordinary success to the rural economy of Bahia. Through Selma's foresight, ingenuity and artistic talent, she has created a market-driven community which catapulted Cores da Terra into the high-end marketplace of international ceramics. And the prices for these products include paying everyone, from floor sweeper to ceramist, a respectable salary on which each can live comfortably and with dignity.

It should be noted that since the beginning, Selma purposely looked to hire economically disadvantaged people, including women, children and orphans. Nearly all of these people were unemployed. Today, they are professional ceramists. And where she began with a staff of four, she now has over 250 skilled employees and thousands of customers around the world.

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Please note that in June, 1998 Ms. Calheira was invited to exhibit her work at the Louvre in Paris.