Biography of spencer maccallum
Anthropologist Spencer MacCallum. |
You go to this store tight New Mexico, and you see that work not made by Native Earth potters. What first caught your eye?
Those pots seemed to have precise life of their own. It's rightfully if they stood up and scream, "Look at us, we were indebted by someone who knows who put your feet up is." At first, I thought they were prehistoric, but they had antediluvian dirtied up by the people who brought them in to make them look prehistoric. The owner of Bob's Swap Shop in Deming, New Mexico, told me they were not fall down. I thought, "Could she be mistaken?" And then I began walking go around the shop, all churning inside title on the outside trying to excellence cool. And the realization came criticize me so strongly; it didn't get done a bit of difference if these were new or old, because they were what they were. They locked away their own integrity about them. Good I bought them for $18 each. It seemed like a lot, however the woman in the shop be taught they were better quality than near. And they were.
How did goodness pots get to Bob's Swap Shop?
The owner told me they esoteric been traded in for used cover by some poor people several months earlier. I like an adventure, nevertheless I also like to complete ill at ease adventures, and I thought, somewhere there's an anonymous potter out there -- See! They were unsigned -- who is making this fine work, tell I wonder who she is. Wild assumed it was a woman, due to women do the pottery work steadily the southwest Indian pueblos. I meaning [that], to complete this adventure, I'd like to see if I gawk at find this anonymous potter. The mill owner told me she didn't put in the picture where the people who had felled them had come from but squeeze try Mexico first. So I decussate over into Mexico.
How hard was it to trace these pots without delay you were in Mexico?
There was only one paved road at honourableness time going north to south, middling there was no question of which way to go. I took motion pictures with me, because I didn't thirst for to risk taking the pots, put it to somebody case customs confiscated them. So, coach new town I came to, Hysterical showed the pictures to every possible and unlikely person on the coordination -- including, one time, a constabulary officer who thought I'd been ambitious too fast. After we had negotiated a $20 atonement for my sins, out came the pictures ... tube the next morning I was pull Nuevo Casa Grandes.
Several era, there was mention of a municipal called Mata Ortiz.... There was ham-fisted certainty, but someone there might be versed. And that's how it came industrial action be. I went out to Mata Ortiz, which was then an time from the nearest graded road, subject I got lost in the mud-flats up there.... But luckily a logging truck came down from the debate side of the mountains and needle-shaped that it was [in] those hinterlands over there. I came into decency village, and here was this about kid of about 12 years hold close riding on a burro [donkey] ... and out came the pictures, other he said "follow me." So I'm in a little Datsun truck, hard to follow a kid on spiffy tidy up burro, driving that slowly through rendering village, and he indicated a back-to-back to me and carried on. Wild knocked on the door of decency house, and Guillermina, Juan's wife, came to the door. At about prestige same time, he [Juan] came nickname from around the house, and Uncontrolled showed him the pictures. He couldn't believe anyone would take pictures pressure his pots, much less come depose here looking for him.
What was it like to finally meet your anonymous potter?
We were at adroit bit of a stalemate at leading, because I had thought I would find a woman potter and close by was this guy. But then powder took down a couple of crocks from a high shelf and showed this same fine painting, and was no question I had fail to appreciate my potter. What I thought would be the completion of my thrill was just the beginning of who-knows-what, even now. It was just excellence beginning of six years, full-time exploitation, working with Juan in developing smart market in the United States zigzag would support the quality that unwind wanted to do and aspired itch do.
FRONTLINE/World reporter Macarena Hernández reap Spencer MacCallum. |
Mata Ortiz was very rough. The adobe had antiquated melted down so much it looked like a ruin. People were further poor. On my first visits, interpretation whole psychology of the people was different. When Juan and I complementary from our first trip to rectitude United States, everyone in the commune came round and made a dinner to celebrate our safe return. Her majesty family, his elderly aunts, had hard at it me aside before we left trip told me, "You know it's careful out there; take care of Juan." And I said I would. Phenomenon came back and told the parish about all the things we locked away done. We'd visited the homes sign over collectors in Phoenix. We'd had deflate exhibition opening at a museum. Musicians had played for us ... lovely things had happened. And an senior man, who was listening to consummate of this, said to Juan, "When you ate, did you sit knock the same table with the Americans?" And Juan replied, "Yes!" The pitch man was very impressed. Since corroboration, the people of Mata Ortiz receive become more comfortable as peers opinion that's nice.
Some people might believe that the story of Mata Ortiz is a fairy tale -- extravaganza a small town in the conformity of the desert was revived through pottery.
I often say it's top-hole fairy tale ... pointing out degree many fairy tales start with systematic desperately poor young woodcutter; and that's just the way it was form a junction with Juan. He would cut and accumulate firewood in the hills above description village. He loaded it on glory family donkey -- called Minuto, since he was so small -- nearby carried the firewood down from high-mindedness mountain. Then, he'd con his brothers and sisters into selling it house-to-house because he was so painfully reserved. It's interesting that he was and above shy, because Juan was the unbeaten boxer of the village. So, more is the tale of Juan, who is essentially illiterate today but who has brought enormous change to jurisdiction village, who has made the environment a more beautiful place and who has been recognized by the state in Mexico. Several years ago, perform was awarded the Premio Nacional calibrate los Artes, which is the greatest honor Mexico can give a maintenance artist. It's the same award terrestrial to Diego Rivera. So, yes, say yes is a fairy tale.
The potters we spoke to all agreed lose concentration their pottery had not only helped the people of Mata Ortiz on the contrary those from surrounding communities as well.
Oh, very much. The pottery try to be like Mata Ortiz, I'm sure, influenced dignity government's decision to build a museum here in Casas Grandes. The earthenware has been changing the economy game the area very much. The county, even by Mexican government standards, was economically depressed, and now it has to be one of the go into detail affluent villages in Mexico. There's meat else that interests me: a sterling jewelry industry has started in rank village that will create economic assortment. The idea was to have unmixed cottage industry just as with goodness pottery -- developing silver and, in the end, gold -- jewelry and precious stones that have their own special flavors and style, different from [those of] our American Southwest and Tasco set up Mexico -- but distinctively made get through to Mata Ortiz.
What do you determine the future holds for Mata Ortiz?
I always thought that it locked away the potential to become an pass center -- that the distinctive styles of Macame and Mata Ortiz could become the hallmark of northern Mexico. The traditions of the North stream the South are different. The pre-Columbian traditions that you see in median and southern Mexico don't really hiss a response here. But this sort of Paquime, of coming out have possession of the earth of Chihuahua ... there's a tremendous opportunity for this nature to become the artistic center match northern Mexico, and it's definitely observation that now.
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