Treasures of Tonalá: Folk Art Shop Highlights Work of Mexican Ceramicist

A travel highlight, especially abroad, is discovering something so captivating you just have to own it, whether it's a memory-capturing photograph or, even better, a unique item you can take home and cherish daily.

Teresa Curl, vice president of retail at the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, recently experienced this firsthand when she encountered the work of award-winning, master Mexican ceramicist José Luis Cortéz Hernández. The best part? Visitors to the Lynn Godfrey Brown Shop at the Museum of International Folk Art can now share in Curl's experience by acquiring a piece of Mexican folk art and supporting an exceptional artist.

It was serendipity that brought Curl and Cortéz Hernández together. In May of 2019, while volunteering for the Friends of Folk Art’s annual Folk Art Flea, Curl learned about a Friends trip to the Feria Maestros del Arte, an annual show of juried artisans in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico. Curl signed on, and it was on that trip that she first saw Cortéz Hernández’s work. She knew she had to own a piece and brought one home with her.

Fast forward to 2023, as Curl sought new treasures to showcase in the Folk Art Museum gift shop this summer. Instead of her usual U.S. trade show visit—to Atlanta or New York—she and Museum Shops buyer Kylie Strijek traveled to a wholesale craft show in Tlaquepaque,
Mexico. They also made it a point to visit Cortéz Hernández’s studio in Tonalá, where, she recalls, “we selected a gorgeous collection of his barro bruñido clay pieces.”

Barro Bruñido, meaning "burnished clay," is an ancient Mexican pottery technique centered around the town of Tonalá. The quality of the region’s clay was prized as early as the 16th century and exported to Spain. Today, this labor-intensive art form is kept alive by only a few artisans. Its unglazed surface, achieved through meticulous stone burnishing by hand, is strikingly decorated with nature scenes and
geometric patterns using local clays and oxides.

“Luis’ use of traditional techniques in creating contemporary works is so compelling,” Curl says. “You see vintage Tonalá pieces here in the United States, but rarely do you see new work, so I felt this trip provided a rare opportunity to showcase his work in Santa Fe.”

This article and images are from the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s Member News Magazine.