“Encuentros/Encounters” at the McColl Center.

The craft tradition is particularly strong in North Carolina, especially in the realm of ceramics. After all, the North Carolina pottery tradition from regions like Seagrove is world-renowned. Very few of us think about Mexican pottery traditions when we hear North Carolina and pottery in the same phrase. There is, however, a significant community of Purépecha potters in the Piedmont and Mountain regions of the state, and the exhibition “Encuentros/Encounters” at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation shines a light on this centuries-old craft.

“Encuentros/Encounters” is a multimedia exhibition that showcases the results of three months of cultural exchanges between Windgate Artists-in-Residence Dignicraft and Purépecha communities in the region. Dignicraft is a collective of media producers (Omar Foglio, Jose luis Figueroa and Paola Rodriques) and master artisans (Herlinda Morales, Angélica Morales, Inés Neal and Juan Manuel Rosas Martinez), who share a common mission to bring awareness and sustainability to the rich Purépecha pottery tradition. Their particular goal is to eliminate toxic lead-based glazes from this tradition to create healthier working and living conditions. The exhibition features collaborative art pieces created during this period with hundreds of lead-free pottery on view.

“Encuentros/Encounters” at the McColl Center.

Reflecting Dignicraft’s philosophy that beauty is inseparable from function, the exhibition design creates an intimate space with domestic elements, including a dining area, a living room and kitchen. The art works are dispersed throughout these installations to reflect the everyday uses for these works of art, as well as the story of the Purépecha culture and its pottery tradition. Many of the pots are for sale, with proceeds going to support Dignicraft’s efforts at eliminating lead and the McColl Center programs.

“Encuentros/Encounters” at the McColl Center.

“Encuentros/Encounters” is on view until March 21, 2015 at the McColl Center for Arts + Innovation, 721 N. Tryon St., Charlotte; 704-332-5535; mccollcenter.org.