Transforming a Town

When a PBS documentary mentioned "Chihuahua, Mexico," I could not help but giggle like a nine-year-old--the way I still do every time I hear "Lake Titicaca." But awe soon replaced incorrigible silliness (though it is bound to make a comeback elsewhere). One determined man, Juan Quezada, through trial and error, taught himself how to make pottery from resources available around his town. When his work was discovered and then publicized by an American anthropologist, Juan taught his family and the community his craft. Now Mata Ortiz is full of artists who can sustain themselves economically and contribute to an amazing art movement.

What have I done for Oakland lately? Well, a clean-up, but that hardly seems enough.

Read more about Mata Ortiz.