Museum of the Americas

03/16/2018

Museum of the Americas display on The Bison of the American Plains at Weatherford Public Library, March 4-April 2, 2018. Please check it out!

12/06/2017

FOLK ART NATIVITIES OF THE AMERICAS is on display through December 23, 2017. Below: "Bunny" Nativity by Joe Ortega, Santa Fe, NM on loan from Hilde & Helmut Horchler.

11/09/2017

"Out and About" class /Senior Education Dept. from Tarrant Community College, NE Campus visited the Museum today.

09/21/2017

Anderson School from Fort Worth visits the Museum for a tour. on 9-15-17. They come at least once a year for a discussion on the current exhibit, and different highlights of the permanent collection.

05/25/2017

Famous Potter, Josephina Aguilar, in her courtyard in Ocotlan, Oaxaca, Mexico is shown fashioning her iconic figures. Pieces by Josephina and her equally famous sisters, Irena and Guillermina, are featured in the current exhibit POTTERY OF MEXICO: CULTURAL IDENTITIES IN CLAY.

POTTERY OF MEXICO: CULTURAL INDENTITIES IN CLAY is currently showing at the Museum of the Americas. This exhibit presents the ceramic traditions of Mexico, utilitarian, decorative, and ceremonial, from the 1920’s to the present. This special exhibit features spectacular pieces on loan from Fort Worth collector, Hilda Horchler, including an intricate 2-1/2 ft. by 3 ft. candelabra constructed with fantastic swirls, animals, and Mother and Child on a donkey at the center.

Mexico has produced one of the richest, most exuberant, and colorful arrays of folk art and crafts as a reflection of its history and culture of any country in the world. It was only after the Mexican Revolution (1910-1921) when artists like Diego Rivera and Frido Kahlo began to incorporate a genuinely Mexican culture and art in their work that recognition of the work being produced by local artisans began to emerge. The upper classes of Mexico emulated European culture. In the 30’s American collectors like Nelson Rockefeller began to travel and collect Mexican folk art. After WWII there was a huge increase in tourism which greatly expanded the market for tourist souvenirs and pieces valued by collectors. Today The Rockefeller Collection resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Every area of Mexico produces some type of ceramic ware. In the villages and rural areas pottery was made to be sold in the local markets. Typically, it was made for cooking, to carry or hold water, for washing clothes or dishes, and for chimeneas (stoves).

An overview of Mexican pottery would not be complete without presenting the beautiful Talavera pottery made in the cities of Puebla and Guanajuato. The Spaniards brought this majolica process from the town of Talavera in Spain and the Mexican artisans made it their own. It represents the most sophisticated level of traditional ceramic production in Mexico.

This exhibit includes decorative pieces from famous potters who had the talent and imagination to create distinctive objects that were/are sought around the world. On view are works by artists such as Herón Martínez, Acatlán, Puebla; Teodora Blanca and the Aguilar Sisters from Oaxaca, Candelario Medrano, Santa Cruz de la Huertas, Jalisco, and many others.

Many of the over 1,000 ceramic pieces in the Museum of the Americas permanent collection are part of the exhibit, some never before on public display.

POTTERY OF MEXICO: CULTURAL INDENTITIES IN CLAY is on display through July 29, 2017. Museum of the Americas is located at 216 Fort Worth Hwy., Weatherford, TX. Hours are 10-5, MF, 11-4 Sat.; admission is free. Call 817-341-8668, or visit www.museumoftheamericas.com for more information.

04/19/2017

April 1, 2017

04/19/2017

We had the Preview Night for our 'Pottery of Mexico' exhibit opening back on April 1 and had quite a turnout. As a reminder, the exhibit runs through July 29. Here's some basic information on the exhibit...

POTTERY OF MEXICO: CULTURAL INDENTITIES IN CLAY opens at the Museum of the Americas April 4, 2017. This exhibit presents the ceramic traditions of Mexico, utilitarian, decorative, and ceremonial, from the 1920’s to the present. This special exhibit features spectacular pieces on loan from Fort Worth collector, Hilda Horchler, including an intricate 2-1/2 ft. by 3 ft. candelabra constructed with fantastic swirls, animals, and Mother and Child on a donkey at the center.

Mexico has produced one of the richest, most exuberant, and colorful arrays of folk art and crafts as a reflection of its history and culture of any country in the world. It was only after the Mexican Revolution (1910-1921) when artists like Diego Rivera and Frido Kahlo began to incorporate a genuinely Mexican culture and art in their work that recognition of the work being produced by local artisans began to emerge. The upper classes of Mexico emulated European culture. In the 30’s American collectors like Nelson Rockefeller began to travel and collect Mexican folk art. After WWII there was a huge increase in tourism which greatly expanded the market for tourist souvenirs and pieces valued by collectors. Today The Rockefeller Collection resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Every area of Mexico produces some type of ceramic ware. In the villages and rural areas pottery was made to be sold in the local markets. Typically, it was made for cooking, to carry or hold water, for washing clothes or dishes, and for chimeneas (stoves).

An overview of Mexican pottery would not be complete without presenting the beautiful Talavera pottery made in the cities of Puebla and Guanajuato. The Spaniards brought this majolica process from the town of Talavera in Spain and the Mexican artisans made it their own. It represents the most sophisticated level of traditional ceramic production in Mexico.

This exhibit includes decorative pieces from famous potters who had the talent and imagination to create distinctive objects that were/are sought around the world. On view are works by artists such as Herón Martínez, Acatlán, Puebla; Teodora Blanca and the Aguilar Sisters from Oaxaca, Candelario Medrano, Santa Cruz de la Huertas, Jalisco, and many others.

Many of the over 1,000 ceramic pieces in the Museum of the Americas permanent collection are part of the exhibit, some never before on public display.

POTTERY OF MEXICO: CULTURAL INDENTITIES IN CLAY is on display from April 1—July 29, 2017. Museum of the Americas is located at 216 Fort Worth Hwy., Weatherford, TX. Hours are 10-5, MF, 11-4 Sat.; admission is free. Call 817-341-8668, or visit www.museumoftheamericas.com for more information.

The Museum of the Americas is dedicated to the collection, preservation, presentation, study, and interpretation of the traditional arts and crafts of Native America, Mexico, and Latin America. These arts and crafts are the objects made, used, traded, and sold by ethnically identifiable peoples. The...

03/31/2017

POTTERY OF MEXICO: CULTURAL INDENTITIES IN CLAY opens at the Museum of the Americas April 4, 2017. This exhibit presents the ceramic traditions of Mexico, utilitarian, decorative, and ceremonial, from the 1920’s to the present. This special exhibit features spectacular pieces on loan from Fort Worth collector, Hilda Horchler, including an intricate 2-1/2 ft. by 3 ft. candelabra constructed with fantastic swirls, animals, and Mother and Child on a donkey at the center.

Mexico has produced one of the richest, most exuberant, and colorful arrays of folk art and crafts as a reflection of its history and culture of any country in the world. It was only after the Mexican Revolution (1910-1921) when artists like Diego Rivera and Frido Kahlo began to incorporate a genuinely Mexican culture and art in their work that recognition of the work being produced by local artisans began to emerge. The upper classes of Mexico emulated European culture. In the 30’s American collectors like Nelson Rockefeller began to travel and collect Mexican folk art. After WWII there was a huge increase in tourism which greatly expanded the market for tourist souvenirs and pieces valued by collectors. Today The Rockefeller Collection resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Every area of Mexico produces some type of ceramic ware. In the villages and rural areas pottery was made to be sold in the local markets. Typically, it was made for cooking, to carry or hold water, for washing clothes or dishes, and for chimeneas (stoves).
An overview of Mexican pottery would not be complete without presenting the beautiful Talavera pottery made in the cities of Puebla and Guanajuato. The Spaniards brought this majolica process from the town of Talavera in Spain and the Mexican artisans made it their own. It represents the most sophisticated level of traditional ceramic production in Mexico.

This exhibit includes decorative pieces from famous potters who had the talent and imagination to create distinctive objects that were/are sought around the world. On view are works by artists such as Herón Martínez, Acatlán, Puebla; Teodora Blanca and the Aguilar Sisters from Oaxaca, Candelario Medrano, Santa Cruz de la Huertas, Jalisco, and many others.

Many of the over 1,000 ceramic pieces in the Museum of the Americas permanent collection are part of the exhibit, some never before on public display.

POTTERY OF MEXICO: CULTURAL INDENTITIES IN CLAY is on display from April 4—July 29, 2017. Museum of the Americas is located at 216 Fort Worth Hwy., Weatherford, TX. Hours are 10-5, MF, 11-4 Sat.; admission is free. Call 817-341-8668, or visit www.museumoftheamericas.com for more information.

03/15/2017

POTTERY OF MEXICO: CULTURAL INDENTITIES IN CLAY opens at the Museum of the Americas April 4, 2017. This exhibit presents the ceramic traditions of Mexico, utilitarian, decorative, and ceremonial, from the 1920’s to the present. This special exhibit features spectacular pieces on loan from Fort Worth collector, Hilda Horchler, including an intricate 2-1/2 ft. by 3 ft. candelabra constructed with fantastic swirls, animals, and Mother and Child on a donkey at the center.

Mexico has produced one of the richest, most exuberant, and colorful arrays of folk art and crafts as a reflection of its history and culture of any country in the world. It was only after the Mexican Revolution (1910-1921) when artists like Diego Rivera and Frido Kahlo began to incorporate a genuinely Mexican culture and art in their work that recognition of the work being produced by local artisans began to emerge. The upper classes of Mexico emulated European culture. In the 30’s American collectors like Nelson Rockefeller began to travel and collect Mexican folk art. After WWII there was a huge increase in tourism which greatly expanded the market for tourist souvenirs and pieces valued by collectors. Today The Rockefeller Collection resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Every area of Mexico produces some type of ceramic ware. In the villages and rural areas pottery was made to be sold in the local markets. Typically, it was made for cooking, to carry or hold water, for washing clothes or dishes, and for chimeneas (stoves).

An overview of Mexican pottery would not be complete without presenting the beautiful Talavera pottery made in the cities of Puebla and Guanajuato. The Spaniards brought this majolica process from the town of Talavera in Spain and the Mexican artisans made it their own. It represents the most sophisticated level of traditional ceramic production in Mexico.

This exhibit includes decorative pieces from famous potters who had the talent and imagination to create distinctive objects that were/are sought around the world. On view are works by artists such as Herón Martínez, Acatlán, Puebla; Teodora Blanca and the Aguilar Sisters from Oaxaca, Candelario Medrano, Santa Cruz de la Huertas, Jalisco, and many others.

Many of the over 1,000 ceramic pieces in the Museum of the Americas permanent collection are part of the exhibit, some never before on public display.

POTTERY OF MEXICO: CULTURAL INDENTITIES IN CLAY is on display from April 4—July 29, 2017. Museum of the Americas is located at 216 Fort Worth Hwy., Weatherford, TX. Hours are 10-5, MF, 11-4 Sat.; admission is free. Call 817-341-8668, or visit www.museumoftheamericas.com for more information.

03/01/2017

CRUCIFIX
17 ¼” h. x 12” w.
Wooden cross with brightly painted, individually molded figures.
Signed: Claudio Jimenez Q / Vincente Flores A / Lima / Peru

The upper part of this beautifully made piece depicts the Crucifixion with all of the Christian symbolism: the dove descending from God upon the Son, the three nails by which Christ was nailed to the cross, the ladder used to lower the body, Christ’s coat, the c**k that crowed three times in Peter’s denial of Christ and more.

Juxtaposed to the Crucifixion itself is the Quechua Danza de Tiferas, or Scissors Dance, from the Andes of south central Peru. Scissor dancers perform with at least four people; two dancers, a harpist, and a violinist. While dancing, each performer must strike a pair of iron blades together to the music. This ritual dance involves impressive acrobatic skills such as dancing on just one foot. To the outside observer the dance is a display of great physical skill, but to the Andean it represents something much more complex, and mysterious.

10/14/2016

The Museum of the Americas is pleased to announce a new exhibit opening at the end of this month, El Día de Los Mu***os. This exhibit traces the beliefs and practices associated with the observance of the Day of the Dead, a traditional holiday first celebrated by the native peoples of Mexico which in the nineteenth century begun to be embraced by the larger Mexican culture. In recent decades the observance has spread to other parts of Latin America as well. This year the museum unveils another dramatic Dead of the Dead altar by Fort Worth artist Cathy Kyle. Also featured is a hilarious canvas by Mexican artist J. Arrazola of Oaxaca, 1997, on loan from Ralph Watterson of Old Home Supply in Fort Worth, and student art from the Monterrey Institute, Toluca, Mexico. The Day of the Dead exhibit runs October 29 – December 23. We cordially invite you and your family to visit the Museum and experience this fascinating exhibit.

Open Tuesday through Friday from 10am – 5pm, Saturday from 11am – 4pm. Call 817/341-8668, or visit www.museumoftheamericas.com.

10/04/2016

Harold Thinks Out Loud about the American Buffalo

The Museum's own Harold Lawrence has an article appearing in the 'Texas Bison' 2016-17 Journal, "Thoughts about bison bison, the American Buffalo." Harold presents a wide-ranging discussion of the buffalo's place in American history, culture and ecology. Of particular interest are the list of contributing factors to the decline of the animal: although the influx of European settlers was a major factor, there were other contributing causes including prairie fires, disease, drought, and predation by other animals. Harold also lists other species sharing buffalo habitat who were also similarly faced with population threats or even extinction. All in all, a fascinating read if you're interested in the species that modern biological taxonomy has named "bison bison."

The 'Texas Bison Journal' website: http://www.texasbison.org/texas_bison_journal.htm