Mission, Vision and Purpose
Organization Mission Statement:
The Mata Ortiz Collector’s Society will be a unifying force to provide information, community, resources, communication, ideas and vision to the world of Mata Ortiz enthusiasts.
Organization Vision Statement:
To help perpetuate an expanded, enhanced and enjoyable experience for all who are interested in Mata Ortiz: its culture, climate and craft
Organization Goals:
- To provide an informational resource in a collaborative non-competitive climate
- To provide an online resource where collectors and enthusiasts gather for communication, information and fellowship
- To provide a village-based resource for enhancing the artist, collector, trader and tourist experience
- To enhance the villager’s understanding of and interactions with Mata Ortiz collectors and enthusiasts
- To bring Mata Ortiz to a new Internet-savvy generation
- To enhance the economy of the entire village through the accomplishment of all of the above
Our Founding Executive Director
Phil Stover founded The Mata Ortiz Collector’s Society in 2007. Phil bought his first Mata Ortiz pot, a beautiful big olla by Sofia de Teña in the late eighties. After years of collecting, he made his first trip to the village in 2006. He has made many trips since and will retire there in the not-too-distant future! Phil held teaching and administrative positions at Liberty University and Northeastern Bible College. An ordained minister, he served on the staff of churches in Texas, California and New Jersey. He served as headmaster of Sarasota Christian School, one of America’s oldest and largest Mennonite schools. An avid student of historical geography, he was elected a Fellow in the Royal Geographical Society in 1989. Phil holds multiple masters degrees and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1985 for his pioneering work in the integration of psychology and theology. Phil founded and serves as president and senior partner of The Portolan Group, an organizational behavior and design consulting firm serving schools and universities across the United States. Phil’s vision is to create a place for Mata Ortiz enthusiasts to gather, learn and share their love for all things Mata Ortiz. He is especially interested in using the Internet to reach out to a younger generation of potential Mata Ortiz enthusiasts. Phil believes MOCS can help the village, the potters as well as the collecting community. Hoping to do all this in a non-competitive environment, Phil is excited about the future of the village and for those who enjoy all things Mata Ortiz.The Mata Ortiz Collector’s Society is open for all to join.
The Mata Ortiz Collector’s Society will:
- Provide timely and accurate Mata Ortiz information via the Internet
- Provide profiles of individual artists
- Provide a point of contact for individual artists and collectors via its location in the village and the Internet
- Provide training to the artists in understanding collectors and their needs, especially in visiting the village
- Encourage the formation of a village council of artists to formulate village concerns and issues
- Provide a forum for discussion of all things Mata Ortiz
- Be non-commercial. In other words, will not sell or buy directly on behalf of itself or its members
- Encourage membership in the society as a means of supporting its activities and efforts