Jorge Quintana Rodriguez, Black on Red Double-Lobe Jar, date unknown, clay, 8 3/4 x 13 1/2 x 5 1/2” (collection Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, gifts of George and Floriene Lieberman. photo: EG Schempf)
The extraordinary vessels are a gift from the estate of George and Floriene Lieberman
Long a regional stronghold in the stewardship of Indigenous art, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art at Johnson County Community College recently welcomed nine new pieces of Mata Ortiz pottery into its permanent collection.
A gift from the estate of George and Floriene Lieberman, longtime benefactors of the museum, the donation includes several significant pieces representing the village of Mata Ortiz and its surrounding area in Northern Chihuahua, Mexico. Bruce Hartman, the founding executive director and chief curator of the Nerman Museum (retired) and a noted expert on this style of pottery, advised the museum staff on which specific objects from the donation would best serve the museum’s mission and long-term public interest.
According to Hartman, the individual most directly associated with the Mata Ortiz aesthetic is Juan Quezada (1940 – 2022), a Mexican potter whose research of artifacts from the Casas Grandes region led him to create his own interpretation of the historical technique that flourished in the ancient Mogollon culture of Northern Mexico. Hartman explains that Quezada “spent years, over a decade, trying to determine where they mined the clay, what kind of things they gathered for the slips to decorate the pots, and just learning, teaching himself.” As the artist’s technical expertise grew, he eventually began developing his own style of pottery, which Hartman notes, “rejuvenated the whole city. It became the basis for their economy. Today there are hundreds of potters living in Mata Ortiz, and it all began with Juan Quezada.”
Given this history, perhaps the most significant item in the recent bequest is “Polychrome Olla,” a highly detailed vessel by Juan Quezada. Additional entries of note include pieces by Quezada’s siblings: “Black on Black Olla” by Lydia Quezada and “Black on Black Olla” and “Blackware Bowl” by Reynaldo Quezada.
Beyond the intrinsic historical value of acquiring pieces by pioneers of the Mata Ortiz movement, Hartman believes that it is important for the museum to represent the people it serves, and he adds, “The Latino community in Johnson County is one of the largest growing demographics.” Johnson County Community College has a dynamic and active ceramics department as well, and the new pottery will provide opportunities for students to study the technique and style of Mata Ortiz firsthand.
And while the objects are visually masterful, they are not all merely decorative. “Black on Red Double-Lobe Jar” by Jorge Quintana Rodriguez features two small orb-like vessels connected by a hollow conduit and an arched handle across the top. Containers like this were used in wedding ceremonies, and the architecture of the piece meant that when it was filled with liquid, the fluid would move freely between the two vessels. And when guests at the wedding drank, it symbolized the union of two individuals and families.
Inspired by traditional pots from Casas Grandes, Hartman explains, “(this) is a shape with some variation that continues to be made in contemporary Pueblo culture to this day down in New Mexico and Arizona.”
According to Whitney Williamson, the registrar at the Nerman Museum, the arrival of the new pieces brings the institution’s total collection of Mata Ortiz pottery to 30 objects. She advises visitors and members of the JCCC campus to look for the recent additions to appear on display in the Regnier Center in 2025.
