The film documents one of the last recorded interviews before Juan Quezada’s passing in 2022. A leader in his community, Quezada was credited and celebrated for pioneering the resurgence of traditional Casas Grandes and Paquimé pottery that evolved into the remarkable Mata Ortiz style.

In the film, Quezada himself recounts his many lived experiences; how he revived the ancient pots from the Paquimé site in Chihuahua Mexico and how he was able to make a living as a potter, changing his life as well as the lives of the potters from Mata Ortiz.

“Juan Quezada: Pioneer Potter of Mata Ortiz” was made by Dina Perlasca, a Mexican-American artist and NMSU alumna. Perlasca teaches ceramics at The University of Texas at El Paso, she is part of the board of Artaxis and exhibits her work, nationally, and internationally. Her most recent solo exhibitions were at the Roswell Museum and at the Juarez Museum of Art.