Touch the spiral
Espiral
Free Art School · Lake Atitlán
A space where art is made, education is shared freely, and both are given back to the community that surrounds it.
Where This Began
This didn't start as a business plan. It started with a feeling and a desire to provide the communities and visitors of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala with easier access to art. Bridging the gaps to allow art to be easier woven into the everyday lives of visitors and community members here on the lake.
After years of visiting and spending time on the lake, it became clear there was a desire to bring something meaningful to this community — a space where art lives and creativity thrives. A space where people can learn from each other, make something with their hands, share what they know and grow together.
When the idea was spoken aloud, the community answered immediately. The support was real, deep, and fast. So plans began to bring a community art center & pottery studio to San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala.
Then came the curious, artistic, and resourceful children of San Marcos. While making art alongside them daily on the streets. Watching as some of them would trade their art pieces in the local tourist bar & music scene in exchange for learning English words. The vision quickly expanded into something bigger, Not just an art & pottery studio. An entire ecosystem of creativity, learning, and community. The mission of the community art space deepened, and the vision of the free art school for local children emerged, shifting to our primary focus here at Espiral. Through this vision the community response has been immaculate. Leading us all here together.
Together, believing that access to art, education and creativity is a human right that every child & community deserves. Believing that music & art are deeply potent healing modalities that enrich cultures & community's across the globe. Believing that we can all build powerful things together as a community if we put our hearts to it. Believing that all of these things together can change the world. If that sounds like you welcome to Espiral. :)
What We're Building
Art classes, English classes, business and life skills, all taught at no cost to the children of San Marcos and surrounding communities, with local Mayan community members as teachers and mentors. As long as the space stays open, the school stays free.
A fully functional pottery & art space open to visitors, travelers, and the local community. Wheels, kilns, glazes, tools. A variety of classes in art including pottery, painting, mixed media art, jewelry making, basket making, and skill trades. The opportunity to engage with local Mayan pottery traditions and techniques. A space that sustains itself and keeps the doors open for everyone else.
Artists from around the world come to Lake Atitlán, one to 3+ months programs. Housing is exchanged for teaching. Their skill becomes the curriculum. Their presence brings the world to the lake.
Opening Doors
The children of San Marcos are already creative. Already resourceful. Already making art and selling it in the streets with whatever they can find. What they deserve is a space to do it in, access to supplies & education, surrounded by community members who want to see them thrive creatively.
This is about providing a doorway & creating access. Art, reading, creating, learning a new language, discovering what you're good at, these are things every child should have access to. That is what the school at Espiral is here to do.
The Artist Residency
The residency is about connection. Artists come from around the world, they receive housing, a studio, access to community. In return, they share what they know. They teach classes, run workshops, sit with the kids, and create experiences that stay with people long after the clay dries. Their energy flows into the school, into the children, into the local artists who have been building here for generations. Artists are held and valued in the community for their skills, access to learning new skills through classes (discounted/free). It's the kind of exchange where everyone walks away carrying something new.
The Energy
Art shared. Stages built. Rooms filled with community and friends. People moved together through music. This isn't new ground for the people behind Espiral, it's something already happening, just at a new scale and a new place.
If you've ever been to a show where the whole room locks in, where strangers start moving together and something shifts in the air, then you already understand what this energy can do. That feeling doesn't disappear when the music stops. It stays with people. It opens hearts. It makes people want to be part of something.
Live music is part of the DNA of Espiral. Not as a side project or a one-time event, but as a living, breathing part of how the space sustains itself. Benefit concerts bring people to the lake, introduce them to the school, and give them a night they'll talk about long after they leave. Local artists, Latin American musicians, international performers who believe in what we're building. They show up. They play. The school stays free.
Every night of music is another month of art classes for the kids. Every person who dances under the stars at Lake Atitlán carries the story home, and that is how this grows.
How the Concerts Work
Get Involved
We believe in building things together. The schools, the festivals, the music, the properties, we have always done it as a community. This is no different. Here is where you come in.
Have a property in or around San Marcos that fits what we're building? Let's talk. The right space is the first domino, everything else follows.
From equipment and supplies to program costs and scholarships, your support goes directly into the space, the school, and the children in it. Every contribution is visible and accounted for.
Are you an artist, craftsperson, or educator? The residency program is built for you. Bring your skill to the lake. Leave it behind in the kids who'll carry it forward.
We are building a concert series that funds the school. If you perform, if you book, if you know people, the lineup is forming and there is room for you in it.
Share this. Talk about it. Every person who hears about Espiral is one more person who might show up, donate, perform, or teach. The word of mouth is how this moves.
Even $25 keeps a child in art supplies for a month. Recurring donations are the steady heartbeat that keeps the school free no matter what season it is.
Create with us. Community art murals, collaborative projects with local artists, and co-created experiences with Espiral. Your vision + our vision = something bigger.
Quote from our founder — "When I look back on my life about the things that saved me, it always comes back to the same things, community, art, and caring deeply about something. That is what we are building here. And I know we can do it."
Madizon
Founder · Espiral
San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala
In collaboration with Shim · WAVMVMT · espiralpotteryatitlan@gmail.com
Inquiries & Interests
ESPIRALPOTTERYATITLAN@GMAIL.COM