Rooted in Clay

"Verónica Castillo, a fourth-generation ceramic artist from the state of Puebla, Mexico, is a national and international treasure. She inherited one

of the most important lineages of Mexican popular art, and she has continued, extended, and revivified the distinguished traditions that were developed by her ancestors. Rooted in Clay: Verónica Castillo y su arte treats her personal artistic journey, from her childhood in Mexico to her engagement with contemporary issues in the present-day United States. Verónica's story is told with love and insight by Dr. Josie Méndez-Negrete."

Ruben C. Cordova, PhD

Art Historian & Curator

Author of Con Safo: The Chicano Art Group and the Politics of South Texas 

"Dr. Josie Méndez-Negrete brings us closer to Veronica's life and legacy. We learn of Castillo's artistic and political influences throughout her life-from growing up as a fourth-generation artist in a family of ceramicists, to her activism with native movements, and her migration to the

United States where she dared to step outside la tradición to capture political themes that denounce oppression in all its forms. Rooted in Clay provides a deep appreciation of Castillo's unmatched creations and her political commitment to social change."

Lilliana Patricia Saldaña, PhD

Associate Professor of Mexican American Studies

University of Texas at San Antonio

"Dr. Josie Méndez-Negrete documents the life and work of world-renowned ceramicist Veronica Castillo, unearthing what it means to be an artist that hungers for justice, from the family taller to the community cooperative, from the Zapatistas to the women of Juárez. The artist is both influenced

by tradition and must break tradition to create a body of work that reflects her vision of the world. Castillo crafts and molds a way of life that honors the Earth by building spaces of collective care and radical imagination. Rooted, grounded, embedded, deep." 

Virginia Grise, MFA

Award-winning Interdisciplinary Artist & Playwright