outside art

God of fertility in some Native American belief systems, Kokopelli is often depicted as a man or a bug who plays a long flute. Mexican artisan Juana Ponce creates this Kokopelli wall sculpture, which is crafted from ceramic and painted by hand with colorful floral motifs in the style of Talavera handicrafts.

Charming and elegant, a delightful Maria doll wearing a red dress and bows in her hair decorates this ceramic plaque from Mexico. Maria Isabel Cruz creates the piece, crafted using the dry rope technique, in which a wax mixture made of magnesium oxide and fat are applied to the outlines of the image or motif prior to glazing. The wax mixture creates a barrier that keeps the different fill colors in the design separate during firing, before burning off to reveal the blackened ceramic beneath.

The charming doll originated in Mexico City when many Otomi and Mazahua people migrated to the capital in the 1970s. Due to their unique traditional clothing, the women became known as "Marias." An educational program was established for them and artist Diego Rivera's daughter, Guadalupe Rivera Marin, encouraged crafting these popular rag dolls as a way to generate income in the 1980s. Artisan women took the idea home to their Mazahua and Otomi towns and the dolls became popular throughout Mexico and abroad.

Guatemalan artisan Elias García offers this piece of wall decor that celebrates the tradition of quitapenas, or worry dolls. This wreath features an array of decorative quitapenas wearing colorful clothing that is handwoven from cotton on the floor loom. They are arranged into the romantic shape of two hearts.

This cobalt blue winged horse figure with flame-colored accents shows that Mexican handcrafts are quite adept at taking outside influences and making them their own. It is based on the European myth of Pegasus, but the design shows Japanese influence as well. It hand carved and hand painted by Oaxacan alebrije artist Esteban Hernandez.