Craftsmanship elevated to art.
The second generation of potters of Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua
saw their parent’s abandoned the rural labour to work with clay. Now this youngters
win nacional awards, but their story began with the encounter of two men: that
of the American archeologist Spencer MacCallum with Juan Quezada, a man who
used to live from selling burritos.
It's a small location where pottery considered an
icon of the popular Mexican culture is produced. Their vocation with pottery is
relatively new, but even then the second generation of potters works with
contemporary forms. The hand of the potter work diligent following the
instructions they have learned. Little by little, what used to be clay becomes
pottery. It's every piece what marks the road, and suddenly a novel trim
appear. The creators develop the forms their masters inherited them.
See to believe. The town is a few
miles from Paquimé, an archeological site, which was home to the
homonymous culture, which were characterized for their technological and artistic
advances. Their buildings are some sort of clay labyrinths which in reality
were houses. The Paquimés also sheltered in caves, and it was in one of them in
which Juan found some pottery so beautiful, he decided to replicate them. For
more than a year, Spencer paid Juan a salary so he could perfect his technique
and when he finished 85 pieces, they left to travel around the US visiting
different museums. Today, this form of expression is considered by el Fondo
Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías as an icon of the popular Mexican culture, and a simple pot can cost
around a thousand dollars.
“I believe the
pottery are an inheritance left to us by the Paquimés, and came when our people
where in deplorable conditions", said Juan.
Mata Ortiz Grupo
7. The work of Diego Valles (30 years old) is simple; it's there its beauty
radiates. A piece is completely white and two cuts on its side make it
abstract; another one simulates a vivid flame. Since he was eight years old,
Diego felt he needed to work with pottery but never took it seriously. He
studied high school in la Colonia Juarez, a Mormon town having a strong
contrast with Mata Ortiz, a rural town, due to its architecture making you
think you are walking through some street in the US. When he graduated from
engineering, he saw himself in a big dilemma, whether he followed with his
career or started working with pottery. The decision he made paid its toll in
2010 when he won el Premio Nacional de la Juventud.
“A few people
didn't understand why I went back to pottery if I had studied engineering,
pottery is not a step back to me, and any job in a company couldn't give me any
more satisfaction then to work with pottery and the art".
His wife, Karla
Martinez (29 years old) is also a potter. She works with miniatures, and
usually adheres a precious stone to her creations, representing one of the
other innovations.
The vocation
wasn't the only aspect they learned from Quezada, but also the social sense.
They created the organization Mata Ortiz Grupo 7, with the purpose to
boost the potential of youngsters. Every member donates a pot, and the money received
from selling them is used for scholarships for students of the Universidad
de Mata Ortiz.
One of the other
members is Hector Gallegos (31 years old). His work is characterized for using
colors such as black, red, and some details in green and yellow. “I began
painting insects, obviously none ended up looking right, and so my mother had
to help me. I like animals, but it's not like I paint giraffes or animals of
that sort, I paint what we find here; deer, wild boars, bears, coyotes,
etc". Hector is married to Laura Bugarini (32 years old). Her
creativity helped consolidate her personal brand, the "estilo
Bugarini": pots decorated with circular bands, and quite elaborate
details. Laura is one of the creators with most recognition in Mata Ortiz, her
most recent award was in 2011, first place in the category of esgrafiado in
the Concurso de Ceramica de Mata Ortiz.
Popularity
abroad. Sadly these youngsters are not seemed as pioneers in their own land:
"It's sad that our work is more known and valued in the US. It's difficult
that only certain people value all that is behind a single pot", said
Laura.
The pieces from
this region are elaborated with the clay potters get from the mountains. The
potters don't use a turning wheel; pots are shaped by hand, and then
polished. The brushes are made from natural hair, and the paint is made
from the clay they use. When the pot has been painted, it's burned so it cooks;
this is one of the most delicate steps in the process since it is possible for
it to crack. The traditional colors are black, red and the motifs used are
called mimbres y paquimé.
Elías Peña is a
representative working so the pottery from Mata Ortiz can be seen as an
expression of contemporary art, in fact, 2008 was the year he won the award for
contemporary art in the Premio Nacional de la Cerámica de Tlaquepaque. "I
put my pot in a little box, then I took a bus, it took almost 18 hours from
here to Tlaquepaque. The bus stopped a few times and I had to go to the
restroom, so I took my little box with me every time, or it could be stolen.
Once in Tlaquepaque, the other potters couldn't believe it, they said: - You
come here with a single piece, I came with a truck load of them, then you won,
and I go home with nothing-".
The sponsors also
change. Elías Peña knocked on the door of the gallery of Mayte Lujan. Since he
is a shy guy and had a pot between his hands, with his hands he indicated her
to evaluate his pot. The knowledgeable eye of the artist immediately recognized
the talent Elías had, so she continued on guiding him.
The second
generation of potters find in the gallery of Mayte a place to exhibit and sell
their creations. Conscious of the needs of the collectors, she decided to open
the Hotel Las Guacamayas, in front of the archeological site. It has been built
with the same techniques the ruins were built. Also, the owner is a certified
tour guide, which means that she can recommend the best sites to visitors and
take them to the potters’ workshops. In her gallery, pieces for the most
demanding buyer stand out from those more accessible to the buyer who just
wants a souvenir.
Talkative and
enthusiastic, Mayte walks shoulder by shoulder with the potters to keep
consolidating this form of expression, but also emotionally wait for the work
that surely will emerge from the hand of the third generation of potters from
Mata Ortiz.
A fantastic
journey. To travel in the surrounding of Casas Grandes in to find yourself with
mountains, and a spectacle where the colour of the sand outstands everything
else. Near to Mata Ortiz is the Valle de las Cuevas, in which stands out the
Cueva de la Olla, a cliff where houses from the Paquimés persist, and a structure that used to serve to store grain, its form
is quite peculiar because it is identical to that of a pot. The Cueva Del
Corral is the second more accessible; it is surprising the condition in which
the houses stand even to this day.
