MONROE — The exhibit “Mata Ortiz Pottery: Artistic Rebirth of a Mexican Village” from the collection of Mr. Terry Haller, will be on display at Monroe Arts Center’s Wellington and Muranyi Galleries from Jan. 25 through March 29. The opening reception which will feature a lecture presentation by Denisse Acosta, a specialist in Mata Ortiz pottery, and Terry Haller, is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25 at Monroe Arts Center, 1315 11th Street. This event is free and open to the public.

Terry Haller began collecting the intricately designed pottery in 2012 when he stumbled upon the extraordinary pieces in a Tucson gift shop. Since that time, Haller has visited the region many times and now collects directly from the artists. Believing that the pottery ranks among the finest ceramic art being produced in the world today, Haller is lending his collection to Monroe Arts Center for this exhibit. 

The village of Mata Ortiz, located in Chihuahua, Mexico, is the site of one of the most remarkable “grass roots” artistic pottery movements of modern times. 

This type of pottery is well known in the southwestern U.S. but is almost unknown elsewhere. The making of high quality ceramics is today the primary livelihood of the majority of households in Mata Ortiz, making the area one of the largest concentrations of artists in the world.