Oaxacan Ceramics: Traditional Folk Art by Oaxacan Women [Paperback]

Lois Wasserspring (Author), Vicki Ragan (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

Prized by collectors worldwide, Oaxacan crafts are among the most popular forms of folk art today. This celebration of Mexican ceramics combines a gallery of more than one hundred stunning photographs with an insightful text that illuminates the artistry and the artists--all of whom are women. The fanciful, brightly colored works spring from the rich imaginations of rural women drawing on enduring religion, mythology, and themes from their everyday lives. Oaxacan Ceramics tells the remarkable story of six of the most renowned artisans who live and work in villages near the city of Oaxaca. Their exuberant, whimsical creations range from the fantastic to the religious, including mermaids, angels, Zapotec creatures, figures of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, vases, candle holders, and decorative plates--all finely crafted and distinctly colored. Oaxacan Ceramics paints an extraordinary portrait of a vibrant culture and its art.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico, and nearly half a million of its three million inhabitants have turned to the craft traditions of their ancestors to sustain themselves. Among the many popular art forms, the folk art of ceramics is the most widespread. Colorful and insightful, this book profiles the top artists working in this popular craft today and celebrates the new direction taken in potteryDthe transition from utilitarian to whimsical and decorative. While some pieces remain utilitarian, others sport colorful fish or angel faces protruding in bas-relief. Bright, cheerful colors cover nativity figurines, animals and mermaids from folklore, skeletons in dress-up, and Frida Kahlo lookalikes. Wasserspring (Latin American studies, Wellesley Coll.) discusses the lives of the mostly women potters as well as their techniques and artistic tradition. The quality of the photographs and paper is outstanding, as is the price for such a well-produced art book. Although there are many larger books on Mexican art, as a single source on Oaxacan ceremics, this book is unique. Recommended for academic libraries and large public libraries with contemporary or Latin American art collections as well as special libraries with an interest in Latin American art or culture.DSylvia Andrews, Indiana State Lib., Indianapolis
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Lois Wasserspring teaches at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she is director of Latin American Studies.

Vicki Ragan is a photographer whose works are in the permanent collections ol the Brooklyn Museum of Fine Art in New York, the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona, and Polaroid Corporation's International Art Collection in Amsterdam. The aut

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081182358X
• ISBN-13: 978-0811823586
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly outstanding presentation of Oaxacan folk ceramics, July 14, 2000

By 

David A. Marks "norcalidave" (Paradise, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oaxacan Ceramics: Traditional Folk Art by Oaxacan Women (Paperback)

Having been to Oaxaca approximately ten times in the past 20 years, I can appreciate the quality and beauty of this fine book. The reasonable price of this "paperback" belies its perfect format/size and its gorgeous photography, text and printing quality.

I've rarely been satisfied with "crafts" books, but this one has been so perfectly written and executed, that it makes me want to jump on a plane and immediately fly to Oaxaca, to find and meet the fantastic artists presented here.

I met one of these women several years ago (Angelica Vasquez), and this glorious book will create an urge in many of its readers to meet her and the other artists that are included here.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oaxacan Ceremics, May 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Oaxacan Ceramics: Traditional Folk Art by Oaxacan Women (Paperback)

This is a fine new book focussing on about a half-dozen female "folk" artists in Oaxacan, Mexico. They all work in ceremics and have their own styles. The book provides interesting information about the women's lives and some background on their techniques. I would have like more information on how they make or conceptualize a piece, how they paint them, and what the "business" of selling their work is like, but this is still a good introduction to this field (not to be mistaken for the Oaxacan woodcarving that is also popular). Plenty of color illustrations, recommended.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great guide to Atzompa and Ocotlán ceramics..., January 7, 2003

By 

JDiver "You haven't lived until you've dived." (Roseville, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oaxacan Ceramics: Traditional Folk Art by Oaxacan Women (Paperback)

Born and raised in México and having a deep appreciation of its diverse and rich folk arts traditions, and guided by the reviews, I bought this book. What others say is true- this softbound book is lavishly illustrated and is a wonderful introduction to the contemporary ceramics covered, as well as the six women potters dealt with. Thise with a love of Oaxacan ceramics will likely love this book as well.

There is but one, very significant problem: the title is, to me, completely misleading. The book actually covers two villages- Octolán de Morelos, and the reigning family of potters, as well as Santa María Atzompa and two of the many potters who work there. San Bartolo Coyotepec and the creator of world-renown black pottery, Doña Rosa Real de Nieto, and her descendants, for example, have no coverage in this book, nor do older more traditional forms.

Oaxaca is an incredibly beutiful state, with many traditions and crafts. This book covers a small fraction of them- and in my opinion misleads with a title implying it covers all the ceramics of Oaxaca. With that caveat, I highly recommend (and give a restrained five stars to) this book, within the scope of its limitations.