The El Paso Museum of Art will be temporarily closed beginning October 1, 2025 for the second phase of building improvements.
Diego Valles, Aguja de la Fe, clay. Photograph courtesy of Flor de Barro Gallery.
Diego Valles, Master Potter from Mata Ortiz, talks about his process and practice influenced by nature and music. Though he started making ollas at the young age of nine, Valles pursued and earned a degree in Electromechanical Engineering. However, after being invited to participate in the exhibition Mata Ortiz: A 40 Years Phenomenon organized by the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) in 2006, he devoted himself to ceramics. In 2010, Valles earned The National Youth Award for Arts, Mexico’s highest honor for a young living artist.