Emmy® Award Redux
May 13, 2013
Big thanks to the awesome Dianna Ippolito for taking the photograph.
Nice Article from Phoenix New Times
December 6, 2012
Check out the short article from the Phoenix New Times in anticipation of the screening at the Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin West Foundation.
Emmy® Award!
October 9, 2012
The Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awarded the movie with an Emmy® in the Cultural Documentary category. I was totally surprised and completely honored.
Award at DocUtah Film Festival
September 11, 2012
The movie won Best Editing at DocUtah: The Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival over the weekend! I had a great screening and the staff of the festival was really wonderful. St. George, Utah is surrounding by beautiful red rocks (it’s near Zion Canyon National Park) and there was a great turnout.
American Library Association
Screening
June 23, 2012
I had a screening of two of my documentaries at the
American Library Association’s annual conference in Orange
County. Spreading the word to librarians around the
country!
Quick Trip to Mata Ortiz
May 28, 2012
I took a (too) short trip to Mata Ortiz to visit a few
folks over the long weekend. Unfortunately, Juan wasn’t
around.
...................................................
..............Spencer
MacCallum in the mountains overlooking the village.
...........................Artists
Carla and Diego Valles (with daughter Regina
hiding).
...........
.........................Artists
Laura Bugarini and Hector Gallegos, Jr...........,........................................Associate
Producer Diana Acosta and me at lunch.
Great News from the Festival
World
May 16, 2012
Holy Cow! This weekend, the movie won a whole slew of
accolades at the Archaeology Channel International Film
Festival in Eugene, Oregon!
Jury Award:
Best Script
Most Inspirational
Jury Special Mention Award:
Best
Representation of Sustainability of Cultural
Heritage
Jury Award, Honorable Mention:
Best Film
Best Cinematography
Best Music
Best Narration
Best Public Education Value
Honorable
Mention:
Audience Favorite
http://archaeologychannel.org/content/film/filmawards_12.html
New
Website for Diego Valles
Pottery
April 24, 2012
Award-winning
artist Diego Valles, featured prominently in the movie, has
a new website that features
lots of his amazing work.
Great News from Sedona
February 25, 2012
The movie sold
out two(!) screenings at the Sedona International Film
Festival and was given the
Directors’ Choice Award for Best Arts
Film! How awesome
is that? BTW, the festival is extremely well-run and a
ton of fun. I encourage everyone to visit the festival
and the beautiful surrounding areas.
Juan
Quezada Workshop
Want to take a
week workshop with the master? Learn more
here.
More
Screenings Announced!
January 21, 2012
If you live in or around:
Sedona, Arizona
Durango, Colordo
Tucson, Arizona
Seattle, Washington
Sonoita, Arizona
Eugene, Oregon
Joshua Tree, California
Santa Ana, California (Orange County)
Go to the
screenings
page to find out where you can see
The Renaissance of Mata Ortiz.
Hector Gallegos, Jr. & Laura Bugarini
Website
January 8, 2012
One of the most
talented (not to mention one of the nicest)
husband-and-wife teams in Mata Ortiz has a new website.
Check out all of the awesome pottery at www.hectorylauramataortizpottery.com.
Find a Potter in Mata Ortiz
November 1, 2011
Check out
this interactive map of Mata
Ortiz! Now you can find where several potters live in
the village without wandering aimlessly. Or just
download the pdf below.
websitepottersmap
Great Turnout in San Diego!
October 22, 2011
Wow, the
response at the screening at the San Diego Museum of Man
was amazing!
The staff had to bring in extra seats. I was happy to
see lots of friends from San Diego (and even LA-thanks
for driving all the way down Donna, Herman and
Victoria). Jerry Boyd
and master potter Jorge Quintana brought a ton of pots
from Mata Ortiz to sell and Spencer MacCallum did a
Q&A after the screening with yours truly. Thanks to
Micah, Phil and the museum staff for a great event and
for showing off some of Spencer’s archive that’s housed
at the museum.
..................
.................
.......
................Grace Johnson
(Museum of Man) and Spencer MacCallum.......................Jorge
Quintana shows off a pot.
Shaping Beauty from the Desert
October 12, 2011
Check out the
nice story from Michigan Today, the alumni
magazine from my alma mater, the University of Michigan.
Here’s the intro:
“Scott Petersen is a filmmaker who stumbled on the amazing
story of two strangers—an American anthropologist and an
impoverished Mexican potter—who became friends through the
potter's extraordinary artwork. ‘The Renaissance of Mata
Ortiz’ is Petersen's lively and fascinating documentary
about an unlikely friendship and the transformation through
art of an entire town. Michigan Today asked Petersen to
take us behind the scenes of his movie.”
Results from the Ceramics
Competition
September 24, 2011
Congratulations to all the winners!
Listing courtesy of Diego Valles
1st
Municipality Ceramics Competition
BEST
OF SHOW
Octavio Silveira
WHITE POLICHROMES
1st Gregorio Silveira
2nd Lorena Lopez
3rd Daniel Gallegos
COLOR CLAY
1st Jose Quezada
2nd Florencio Sanchez
3rd Sabino Villalba
BLACK CLAY
1st Diego Valles
2nd Salvador Baca
3rd Salvador Baca
EFFIGIES & FIGURES
1st Martin Cota
2nd Fabiola Silveira
3rd Olivia Dominguez
SGRAFFITO
1st Ramiro Veloz
2nd Hector Quintana
3rd -----? Reyes
NON TRADITIONAL PIGMENTS
1st Cesar Dominguez
2nd Cesar Dominguez
3rd Cesar Navarrete
MINIATURES
1st Jerardo Tena
2nd Guadalupe Gallegos
3rd Laura Bugarini
Sad
News from Mata Ortiz
August 15, 2011
Nicolas Quezada,
Juan’s brother and one of the original artists in the
village, passed away today after a long illness. I will
always remember the joy on his face as he described the
squeaky table on which he worked for 40 years. A brilliant
artist and wonderful person.
Kindergarten
Graduation
July, 2011
Below is the first graduation picture from the kindergarden
in Mata Ortiz after the new addition to the classroom. This
addition was built with donations from the Mata Ortiz
Foundation. Photo courtesy of Walter
Parks.
Concurso
Winners
May 31, 2011
Some photos (courtesy of Grant Taggert) from recent
Concurso.
The
Maestro Juan Quezada
June 17, 2011
I took a quick trip to Mata Ortiz to see a few folks. I had
a nice visit with Juan. BTW, he was
happier than he looks in this picture. The sign outside his
house and gallery was destroyed during a recent storm, but
anyone in town will be able to direct you to his
place.
Wood
Artist Roberto Hernandez
June 17, 2011
Roberto Hernandez is an incredible wood artist in Colonia
Cuauthémoc, just a few miles from Mata Ortiz. He creates
chairs, tables, mirrors, etc. from found wood in the
mountains. Some look like animals, some like women. If
anyone has some pictures of his work, please send them my
way.
If you are driving from Casas Grandes, take the sharp right
turn to Colonia Cuauthémoc (there’s a sign). Go 1.1 miles
and turn right. There will be an orange house on your
right. There used to be a sign for his place on the road,
but someone hit it with their car or truck and dragged it
all the way to Colonia Juarez.
Drive a minute
or two until you see his house on the right. It’s at the
end of the dirt road and is easily identified.
You might see
his truck or a lizard. He has some loud dogs, so beep your
horn if you don’t like dogs.
.............
Hopefully, he’ll
be home and show you what he has for sale. He lived in the
States for many years, so his English is
excellent.
Poster
Art
February 28, 2011
My awesome designer, Chris St. George, just finished the
poster art for The
Renaissance of Mata Ortiz. Thanks to
photographer Raechel Running!
Great
News from Mata Ortiz
December 7, 2010
Diego Valles just won the Premio Nacional de la Juventud
2010. This is the highest award that the Mexican government
can give to a young citizen. This is the same award that
Juan Quezada won in 1999, except that this award is for
young people. A great honor for Diego and a great tribute
to the town of Mata Ortiz. Congrats, Diego!!!
pot
by Diego Valles (photo: Scott Petersen)
2010 Gathering of Friends of Mata
Ortiz
October 15, 2010
.....
Emi Caley and Spencer MacCallum in Mata Ortiz at the
Gathering
Chairwoman and tour guide Diana Acosta
(Agave Lindo Tours)
Another
New Mata Ortiz Book
October 14, 2010
Check out The Magnetism of Mata
Ortiz, a cool new
book about Mata Ortiz and northern Chihuahua. I met one
of the authors, Ron Bridgemon, in Mata Ortiz and he’s
filled with great stories. Get your copy
today.
A
New Mata Ortiz Book
August 10, 2010
It’s been some time since The Many
Faces of Mata Ortiz and
The Miracle
of Mata Ortiz, so I’m happy
to report that a new book about Mata Ortiz is now
available. Written by John V. Bezy and Stuart D. Scott,
it’s called The Artistry
and History of Mata Ortiz and it even
features a photo I took of Spencer MacCallum and Juan
Quezada. I just ordered mine and can’t wait to get it. For
more information about the book, go to: http://www.mataortizartists.com.
The
Latest...
August 8, 2010
I’m almost done! The awesome Patrick Kirst finished the
score and now it’s in the hands of my audio guy,
Bobby Garza, Jr. for sound
editing, etc. I still have to do some assorted technical
stuff to do after that, but it’s very close to being
submitted to festivals. I was engaged in a nasty battle
with the proper way to do the subtitles when Bouke over
at the VideoToolShed came to the
rescue with his SubBits subtitling
software. Thanks, Bouke!
If you know of any cool places (museums, independent
screening facilities, universities) in your town or
anywhere on the planet, please let me know and I’ll drop
them a line. And a big thank you to the people who have
donated to the project. Your generosity is very much
appreciated. Give yourself a big hug!
A quick story from Spencer MacCallum.
The
Little Church of Divine Mercy
May
20, 2010
This is the story of a little church in Casas Grandes,
Chihuahua, a small town in northern Mexico cradled in a
rare valley in the Sierra Madres. Natural springs and the
Casas Grandes River irrigate its fields and orchards. In
the 17th
century,
Spaniards admired the fertile valley and built the town of
Casas Grandes and a Franciscan mission, San Antonio de
Padua de Casas Grandes.
But in modern times, beginning in 1992, a prolonged drought
struck the region. Unable to make a go of it in the absence
of rainfall, people from the surrounding Sierras migrated
into the valley in search of work, nearly doubling the
population of Casas Grandes. As housing spread west, Padre
Antonio Quezada Valdez saw that the old church in the
middle of town was no longer adequate. Another was needed,
and with it a new church plaza.
Wondering what sort of church to build, Padre Antonio had a
dream. Instead of putting up just another modern structure,
why not replicate the 350-year-old church of the now ruined
Franciscan mission? He would call it El Templo del Señor de
la Divina Misericordia (Temple of the Lord of Divine
Mercy). Little remained of the original church, built in
1663 and destroyed in the Pueblo Indian revolt of 1680. But
its plan was known because a team of archaeologists had
once excavated the mission site.
With a limited budget, Padre Antonio realized that he could
not replicate the original size of the mission church. But
he thought he could accomplish the effect on a slightly
smaller scale. Sadly, the budget did not allow even that.
Construction began in 1999 and continued to where services
could be held, and there the funding ran out. The towers
were left truncated, and no work had been done on the
plaza. And so the church stood for several years, known
only to its parishioners.
Then a miracle began to unfold. In 2004 a local artist,
Gricel Ortiz, who had trained in Italy and painted chapels
there, came home to care for her aged mother. Finding the
little church, she volunteered to cover the entire wall
behind the altar with a mural of the Divine Mercy. At the
focal end of the long nave, with perfect lighting from a
clerestory, the wall offered an ideal space for a major
work of art. Gricel was inspired. She filled the chapel
with classical music as she painted, high on her
scaffolding. Without help, she completed the mural in six
days. Her dream, when the padre could afford to buy
materials, was to paint the whole interior of the church
with a surround mural of clouds, angels, and saints so that
visitors on entering the church would feel they had entered
heaven.
The MacCallums had renovated La Casa del Nopal near the plaza, and a guide for Grand Circle Travel, Teresa Zinser, had begun bringing her tour groups to this historic adobe. During one of these visits, Spencer boarded the bus and guided the group to the little church, explaining its story on the way.
He told the tour group they would see a rare example of Chihuahua’s original style of church architecture, like that of the adobe churches of New Mexico to the north with their long, narrow nave, and he explained that the reason for the narrow nave was that the builders were limited by the trees they had to span it. He told about the mural and explained why the church was unfinished. He said this would not be for all, but if some felt inspired by the beauty they were about to see and wanted to feel a part of the project, he knew the padre would welcome it. As they left the church, he said, he would stand near the entrance with his inverted sombrero for those who freely cared to contribute.
Such was the response that within months, as Teresa continued bringing groups and others joined in, construction on the church resumed, bringing employment to the neighborhood. Within the year, not only were the towers complete, Gricel had paints and materials to carry out her over-all vision for the church.
After installing professional lighting that will effectively illuminate the art work, future plans include offering concerts of string quartet and other kinds of chamber music in this unique setting.
While Gricel prefers anonymity, her art set in motion a miracle for realizing Padre Antonio’s dream. The little church of Divine Mercy in Casas Grandes is without a doubt one of the most interesting and beautiful
religious structures in northern Mexico. Its simplicity and spirituality will inspire many for years to come.
Spencer MacCallum
Casas Grandes, Chihuahua
20 May 2010
