Something Holy

Mexican-born and Michigan-based ceramics artist, Cristina Joya, has been honing her skills in pottery since 2019. Originally an award winner Graphic Designer, Cristina blended her design skills with her passion for ceramics and self-discovery. Inspired by studies and teachings of renowned physicians, therapists, and spiritual leaders, she draws her creative power from realizing the importance of the mind-body-spirit connection. Her work has been exhibited at local galleries such as the Janice Charach, Pontiac Creative Art Center, Oakland Community College, and The Community House at Birmingham, where she was recognized with the Bronze award.

Joya’s ceramics artwork comes from the impulse to explore how humans can feel a close connection to an object and the meaning that can be given to it, even if it doesn’t have a specific function.  She is interested in the unspeakable and unconscious mechanism that makes us feel attracted to or repelled by an object.  For Joya, ceramics represent the alchemy of transforming something raw and dull into a beautiful piece of art which is a metaphor for how we transform our shortcomings into fuel for our self-discovery journey.

“Something Holy” is a collection inspired by vessels as an analogy to the human being, which is also a container for thoughts and emotions. The artwork, coupled with loops as ornaments and halo-like details, represents the self-realization, happiness, peace, and completeness we aspire to. The creative process seeks to give the pieces a sacred or ceremonial quality that resembles our personal journey as something holy in a broader and holistic view of human life.