History and Current Events:

Ron Schneider, our buyer, is an aficionado and ardent collector of Mata Ortiz pottery. About twelve years ago he accidentally came across a piece in a sale at Price Club (now Costco) of what was billed as Native American Arts and Crafts. He inquired about the piece (a fish effigy by Reynalda Quezada) at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona and learned the story of the village. Subsequently he met some of the potters displaying their works and demonstrating the making of the pottery at a demonstration in Old Town San Diego. His growing interest took him to the University of New Mexico Art Museum 1985 show of Mata Ortiz pottery where the works of 26 of Mata Ortiz’s finest potters were on exhibit. Fascinated by the beautiful varied pieces he saw there, he and his wife went to the village in May of 1985 where he bought over 50 pieces for himself. Then he began to have “pot parties” in his backyard. A few years later, he and his daughter who lived in Puerto Vallarta opened Galeria de Ollas.

In ten years Ron made over fifty trips to the village to do the buying while his daughter, Denice oversaw the gallery. During that time he became friends with many of the potters and learned a great deal about how they created such beautiful works. Just recently they sold the gallery to their long time sales person, Carolina Orozco Medrano who had also become an aficionado of the pottery. She will lovingly continue the traditions of Galeria de Ollas. Ron will assist by offering his exhaustive expertise and knowledge of the Art and people of Mata Ortiz as well as buying the highest quality pots available from not only the well known artists but also from the talented new ones.

A new website, still called www.galeriadeollas.com will offer beautiful Ollas from the gallery in Puerto Vallarta. Additionally, the site will offer pots from both Ron’s personal collection in San Diego and from a new partner’s collection in Atlanta, Ga.