POMONA, CA.- The American Museum of Ceramic Art will present Mata Ortiz Pottery: A Forty-Year Phenomenon, on view June 9 - Aug. 25, 2007. Mata Ortiz Pottery: A Forty-Year Phenomenon: contemporary Mexican pottery created in a remote Chihuahua village. The pottery making tradition of the ancient Pueblo cultures was single-handedly reinvented by Juan Quezada and is now practiced by over 400 potters in the village. In addition to showing a number of ancient ceramic vessels from the Casas Grandes area, this exhibition will feature thirty prominent potters of Mata Ortiz.

A 40 Year Phenomenon,” refers to what has transpired over this short period of time to pottery production in the small community of Mata Ortiz , Chihuahua , Mexico . The pottery-making tradition, single-handedly reinvented by Juan Quezada, and now practiced by over 400 potters in the village, has quickly passed through a number of developmental stages to reach its present form. Contemporary Mata Ortiz pottery began with replication of ancient Mimbres and Casas Grandes styles, and then moved through a mutation process involving many technical and aesthetic advances. Complete mastery of the craft and style specialization by individual artists has led to the innovative contemporary expression that is characteristic of Mata Ortiz pottery today.

The exhibition will begin with examples of early Casas Grandes pottery of the 13th and 14th century. Shards from this era, found by Juan Quezada in the Mata Ortiz area, inspired his quest for replicating the original processes. Juan’s story will be related through a series of pots (on loan from the Museum of Man ) that exemplify his early growth through the period of Spencer MacCallum’s sponsorship. Three more decades of Juan’s creative evolution are documented through examples of his ceramic output. Over seventy-five works by other area potters, illustrating a wide variety of forms and techniques, will be exhibited. Ollas and figures, executed in a various clay bodies (red, buff, white, cream, black), will be shown along with techniques such as slip painting, carving, marbling, sgraffito, or graphite application.