Folk Art at Fremont Gallery Saturday

DeSilva Imports is co-hosting Folk Art Is Fine Art: The Art Of Oaxaca And Northern Mexico from Dec. 17 to Jan. 14 in partnership with Modern Mata Ortiz and .

Come out from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday or Sunday for the opening reception at Fremont Gallery. 

A portion of the weekend sales will go to support the Dispensas Program, a Holiday food basket distribution program in Mata Ortiz, Mexico. Dispensas provides basic necessities to sixty at risk families who have been identified by the local clinic as being in the most need of assistance. Many of the recipients are the elderly members of the community, as well as single mothers and the handicapped. 

Also on hand will be featured artists: 

• Adalberto Perez Meillon from Ensenada, Baja California will demonstrate the painting of designs inspired by ancient traditions on papel amate. Papel amate is a natural paper that is hand made from tree bark in Mexico. Adalberto learned the traditional Casas Grandes designs from the potters of Mata Ortiz. He continues to elevate a traditional art form to the level of fine art, while using the natural tree bark paper that is most often used in the folk art of Mexico.
• Master potters Lila Silveira and Carlos Carrillo from Mata Ortiz, Chihuahua will demonstrate how the pottery is hand formed without the aid of a potter’s wheel, and how the pottery is painted with homemade paint brushes crafted of human hair. They will also discuss the use of natural pigments and minerals in crafting unique natural paints, and the traditional method of firing the pottery without the use of a modern kiln. 

Check out our photos to view some of the artists' work.