(Photo by Sara Atancio-Gonzales)
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper – After two decades working in healthcare, Tamara Righettini was ready for a change. Today, she spends her days surrounded by pottery wheels, shelves of clay and a growing community of artists at Burque Throwdown, the ceramics studio she founded near Downtown Albuquerque.
Righettini first discovered ceramics more than 30 years ago while taking a class at the University of New Mexico.
“I took a class at UNM like three decades ago, and I was kind of hooked then,” says Righettini. “I loved it.”
Years later, Righettini returned to the medium and quickly fell back in love with it. “I took a class at a local studio and got hooked again,” says Righettini. “And so I just drank the Kool-Aid and jumped right back in.”
At the time, Righettini was working as a nurse practitioner. But the strain of the healthcare field eventually pushed her to consider a new path.
“I was just really burnt out,” says Righettini. “Healthcare is such a hard field, and I was a nurse practitioner for a long time, and our healthcare system just feels like it’s designed to burn people out.”
While selling ceramics at local markets gave her an outlet for her work, Righettini realized that making a living solely from pottery production would be difficult. Instead, she began imagining something different. “I decided I could do it better if I opened up my own studio,” says Righettini.
(Photo by Sara Atencio-Gonzales)
Finding a space for the studio proved challenging. Righettini began searching at a time when commercial real estate was scarce.
“Marijuana was legalized in New Mexico, and all of the real estate was being swooped up by people who wanted to open up dispensaries,” says Righettini. “So, there was very little real estate available at the time.”
Eventually Righettini found the space that would become Burque Throwdown. “When I stopped in front of this one, I was like, oh, man, this is it,” says Righettini. “This is the place.”
Burque Throwdown opened with a focus on classes, offering six-week sessions where students meet once a week for three hours. Participants can also return during open studio hours to continue working on their pieces.
Righettini explains that one of her biggest goals was creating an inviting environment for people to gather and create. “I wanted it to be bright,” says Righettini. “I wanted to have a lot of plants here. I wanted it to be a place that was comfortable, beautiful and clean, and a place where people would want to be.”
In the years since opening, Righettini says the community that has formed inside the studio has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey. “People have made new friends,” says Righettini. “People have formed entire social networks in here.”
(Photo by Sara Atencio-Gonzales)
Righettini also finds joy in watching beginners discover their creativity. “We’ve had some people come in who claim that they don’t have an artistic bone in their body,” says Righettini. “And then to see them flourish and blossom into these amazing artists is really cool.”
For Righettini, spaces like Burque Throwdown serve a deeper purpose beyond learning pottery. “I think it’s therapy, it’s community building, it’s creative outlets,” says Righettini. “It’s just really healthy for people to do creative things.”
Above all, Righettini hopes everyone who walks through the studio doors feels comfortable. “I hope they feel very welcomed and at home and in a place where they can be themselves,” says Righettini.
To stay updated on Burque Throwdown, including upcoming classes, studio opportunities and events, visit burquethrowdown.com.