......
Buy the Academic/Institutional
DVD
............................................
Do you like Scrabble? 
The Emmy® winning cross-cultural story of how an American adventurer and a brilliant, self-taught Mexican artist transformed a dying desert village into a home for world-class ceramics.
From Video Librarian:
“Scott Petersen’s documentary winningly tells the tale of MacCallum’s unlikely odyssey as an arts promoter, and
the film also provides a fascinating portrait of Quezada’s
equally unlikely rise to prominence. The footage capturing the creation of Quezada’s painstakingly precise designs is wonderful, and MacCallum and Quezada’s accounts are compelling.
The Renaissance of Mata Ortiz offers a fascinating look at contemporary Mexican art and culture.”
Great for students in:
• Ceramics/Studio Art
• Art History
• Anthropology
• Latino/a Studies
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Economic Development
.design
by Chris St. George, photos by
Raechel Running....
When
anthropologist Spencer MacCallum walked into a second-hand
store in Deming, New Mexico, in 1976 and bought three
pieces of pottery, he had no idea that he was about to
embark on a journey that would lead to the revival of an
ancient art form. Finding his way to Mata Ortiz, México,
MacCallum partnered with self-taught artist Juan Quezada
and slowly they created an industry that today is known
world-wide not only for its interpretations of a
centuries-old style of ceramics, but for stunning
post-modern works as well.
The
Renaissance of Mata Ortiz tells the
improbable story of how Quezada (without a kiln or a
potter’s wheel and using only found materials) and
MacCallum both experienced creative and personal
breakthroughs which led to dazzling, innovating works by
Quezada and a passing of the torch to younger,
award-winning artists such as Diego Valles.
Master potter
Juan Quezada and Spencer MacCallum at Quezada’s ranch near
Mata Ortiz
Photo courtesy of Scott Petersen
Diego Valles
Photo courtesy of Raechel Running
The Maestro
Juan Quezada
