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At this time this site is for educational purposes only there is nothing for sale in the gallery or on ebay. Thanks and enjoy all the information this site has to offer

Pottery Demonstration and Sale

On Saturday Nov. 13^th (9:00 am to 5:00 pm) and Sunday Nov. 14, 2010 (9:00 am to 4:00 pm), world-famous Mata Ortiz potters Laura Bugarini and her husband Hector Gallegos, Jr. and Jorge Quintana will be at Peddler's Pavilion, 2400 W. Picacho Ave., Las Cruces, NM 88007 for a demonstration and pottery sale. An olla will be fired outdoors on Sunday. The public is welcome and admission is free.

Laura and Hector’s Concourso first prize winning olla (see photo at right) will be on display. Hector says that this is the finest olla they ever made. Also, it is arguably the finest olla ever to come out of Mata Ortiz. This will be a rare chance for you to see these potters and buy their work, as they are among the most in demand of all Mata Ortiz artists. Jorge Quintana is a seminal figure in the history of Mata Ortiz, and his ollas as well as many others will be on sale. Another potter may also be present.

Additionally, we are extremely pleased to announce that world-famous anthropologist, and the man who discovered Juan Quezada, Spencer MacCallum is coming and will lecture on both days. His topic will be, "The Early Years of Mata Ortiz and the legacy of Juan Quezada." If you have any interest at all in Mata Ortiz pottery, meeting Spencer is a must. Spencer's lectures will be at 11:00 a.m. on Nov. 13th, and at 1:00 p.m. on Nov. 14th.

Spencer MacCallum

A beautiful new book has just been published about Mata Ortiz which features 45 second-generation potters. "The Artistry and History of Mata Ortiz" was written by John V. Bezy and Stuart D. Scott and we will be pleased to have the archaeologist Stuart D. Scott at our event in November who will be available to sign books for you. Also, Stuart will speak about Paquime's archeological past, the motivation and approach of the Bezy/Scott book and answer questions about the contemporary potters at Mata Ortiz. Stuart's presentation will follow Spencer MacCallum's.

For more information about Stuart D. Scott click this link http://www.1837rebellion.net/stuartdscott.html

Mata Ortiz Pottery

Named after the small village of Juan Mata Ortiz (a military Apache fighter), Chihuahua, Mexico, where it originated and is now being produced, the hand-made pottery has achieved the enviable status as perhaps one of the most innovative ceramics movements to evolve in the 20th century.

Mata Ortiz artists traditionally hand-form their pottery without the use of a potter's wheel using locally dug clay and or other mexican clays. It is then hand-painted and fired on open ground. Unlike Native American potters, Mata Ortiz artists are not confined to stylistic traditions. Rather, Mata Ortiz potters have had the unique ability to follow any successful tangent in whatever direction the artist feels inspired to explore. For this reason, Mata Ortiz pottery has achieved unrivaled diversity in style, design, and creativity and is collected world-wide by both museums and private collectors.