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Near the ancient ruins of Casas Grandes in northern Chihuahua, Mexico, just south of the San Luis Mountains, a new artistic movement is flourishing. Mata Ortiz, a small village barely three streets wide, is home to Juan Quezada, the self-taught originator of Mata Ortiz pottery, and his predominantly young followers.Discovered in 1976 by Spencer MacCallum, Juan Quezada and his extended family of brothers, sisters, their children and neighbors became the core of this now thriving pottery movement. Quickly earning acceptance as a contemporary art form, this beautiful and excitingly varied yet simple pottery is accepted and admired as a legitimate folk art. As the eloquent design of pottery inspired those who experienced it, more and more young artists chose to follow Juan Quezada's inspirational model. New potting families developed and the art form continues to expand. This vibrant flow of new ideas without the restraining bonds of traditional practices or gender constraints to impede creativity has enabled the pottery of Mata Ortiz to avoid the pitfalls of derivative repetition that have doomed many previous folk art movements. As a collector, the joy of being part of a contemporary artistic movement that is recognized and appreciated today adds to the excitement of ownership of these ever evolving designs.
A person who makes pottery is traditionally known as a potter. The potter's most basic tool is his or her hands, however many additional tools have been created over the long history of pottery manufacture, including the potter's wheel, various paddles, shaping tools (or ribs), slab rollers, and cutting tools.
Pottery is a type of ceramic material, which the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has defined as "(a)ll fired ceramic wares that contain clay when formed, except technical, structural, and refractory products." The term pottery is also used for a technique involving ceramic, where clay is mixed with other minerals and is formed into objects, including vessels generally designed for utilitarian purposes.
The tea bowls made by Chôjirô were initially called ima-yaki, literally "now wares", that is to say, wares produced at the present time. They were subsequently renamed juraku-yaki, "juraku wares", due to the fact that Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), the leading warrior statesman of the time, presented Chôjirô with a seal bearing the Chinese character for Raku. The term Raku derived from Jurakudai, the name of a palace built by Hideyoshi, one of the great symbols of his age. Raku then became the name of the family that produced the wares. This is the only example in the history of a family name becoming synonymous with the ceramics they produced. Furthermore, few potter families have continued in an unbroken line in the way the Raku family has done.
