José Juan Aguilar - Frida with imaginative animals
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José Juan Aguilar - Oaxacan dancer
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José Juan Aguilar - Oaxacan woman with pineapple

by Susan Page

Any important collection of Mexican folk art is likely to include imaginative figurative ceramics by some member of the Aguilar family. In the 1940s, Isura and her husband Jesus began transforming the traditional utilitarian ceramics of Ocotlán into decorative clay figures depicting daily rural life and Oaxacan traditions. All four of their daughters, Guillermina, Josefina, Irena, and Concepción, picked up the tradition when they were young and established themselves as the famous Aguilar sisters. Now, their sons and daughters are continuing the distinctive family work, maintaining the tradition of figurative ceramics, but with great imagination by the now many different family members.

José Juan Aguilar - Butterfly Woman
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My husband, Galería Atotonilco founder Mayer Shacter and I first visited Josefina Aguilar's studio in 2002, when we had first moved to Mexico. Josefina had work on display. But Mayer was never content to limit himself to the pieces the artist selected to show us. He delighted in snooping around the storage rooms and back shelves. "May I see that piece?" he asked Josefina. "Oh, that's by my son, José Juan," she told him, and she brought it out into the light. Astonished at both the subject matter, "Life and Death in the Sea," and the brilliant craftsmanship, we bought the piece.

At that time, José Juan was 28, somewhat shy, and very sweet. We have been buying his work ever since and find it to be among the most innovative and beautifully crafted work in the entire family.

José Juan makes miniature mojigangas, the large puppets with a dancer inside, peeking out a hole in the puppet's abdomen. His work ranges from clever and funny to deeply spiritual, like the womb of a tree that becomes the womb of a woman, whose hair mingles with the mane of a horse, and where the tree spirits morph into Adam and Eve.

José Juan Aguilar - Mother's Earth Womb
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He creates beautiful country scenes with lots of activity and figures that display the distinctive dress styles from various Oaxacan villages. His work is innovative, exquisitely crafted, and painted with beautiful, soft colors. Jose Juan is now 51 and has three daughters and a young son.

Mayer and I collected vintage Aguilar works whenever we could find them and have some on display in the collection in our home, including a wonderful, large figure by Josefina with animals in her hat, flowers and a baby in her arm and scenes of village life all over her long skirt, an exquisite example of genuine folk art and of the Aguilar traditions. We were delighted to find wonderful humorously depicted ladies of the night, vintage works by Josefina.

Josefina Aguilar - Frida Kalho's world

Detail Frida Kalho's world

Detail of Frida Kalho's world
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One member of her family created a figure of Frida with some of her paintings depicted on her skirt in three dimensions. These works in our collection are not available for purchase, but we carry a stunning collection of works by José Juan for sale in the gallery. At our request, he created another "Life and Death in the Sea" that is for sale. It is an iconic example of the strong Mexica theme of duality, and of the close connection between life and death.

José Juan Aguilar - Mermaid Dual figure
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José Juan Aguilar's work is excellent evidence that it is possible to own a masterpiece of Mexican folk art for several hundred dollars or less. If the work were a painting, it would be thousands of dollars. Folk art is highly undervalued, but the up side is that it is easy to own and easy for craftspeople to sell so that they can support their families.

We encourage Americans and Canadians who have moved to Mexico to help maintain the vitally important traditions of Mexican "arte popular" by collecting works you respond to and by bringing the flavor of this country you have come to love into your home. It is a special privilege to live in a country with an enormous diversity of folk art. No matter what the décor of your home, folk art will enhance it and will be an expression of the joy you feel living amidst Mexican's warmth and color.

José Juan Aguilar - Mother Earth

Mother Earth - detail

Mother Earth detail
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Folk art serves a vital role in preserving traditional beliefs, values, and history. It reveals the diverse cultures of Mexico, for it remains entirely regional. Creators of "popular arts" pour the love of their village and their family traditions into every piece they create. Their art is deeply rooted in the ancient history of Mexico and speaks of both the passion and the delight they feel for their beloved culture. The Aguilar family is just one example of artisans in thousands of Mexican villages that continue to preserve traditional crafts.

José Juan Aguilar - Oaxacan dancer with traditional dancers in the dress
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José Juan Aguilar - Dead woman riding a bicycle
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José Juan Aguilar - Dual figure of life and death
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Josefina Aguilar - Woman with animals and country scenes

Galería Atotonilco, located five miles north of town. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 11 to 4 with no appointment necessary. It is widely considered to be the finest collection of folk art for sale in all of Mexico. The collection also includes colonial-era tables and trunks, prints by the famous Oaxacan graphic artist Irving Herrera, contemporary ceramics by the world-famous Gustavo Pérez and more. Don't wait. Plan a day in the country soon. We are surrounded by restaurants, hot springs, and the historic Atotonilco church.

Galería Atotonilco
An Unforgettable Experience of Mexico

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Susan Page is the former Director of Women's Programs at UC Berkeley, where she helped to found the Contraception Clinic at the Student Health Service, and to create one of the first university-based Human Sexuality programs in the U.S. She helped establish the first safe house for battered women in Contra Costa County. A best-selling author, Susan has appeared widely on national television and radio, including the Oprah Winfrey Show. She founded and is president of the San Miguel Writers' Conference and Literary Festival and of Gáleria Atotonilco.

www.susanpage.com

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