This week's new art offerings from the Americas were made by potters in Mexico, a nation with a rich tradition of figurative ceramics dating back to the Olmec Civilization (1200 BC-400 BC). The sculptured clay pieces and bas-reliefs on sacred themes now on view in the Mexican Figurative Pottery page in the Schools of Sacred Art section represent a contemporary genre of pottery-making, which came about when village artisans who normally produced clayware items for everyday use began to create more decorative works for a growing market of folk art collectors. There are a variety of pieces on view, made with techniques both ancient and modern, associated with specific regions and family workshops, including a glazed Talavera ceramic church similar to European maiolica, burnished pottery plaques and pine-resin treated sculptures (in a style described as "mud surrealism!) from Tonala, intricately made "Trees of Life" from Metepec, and delightful figurines from the women potters of Oaxaca. (John Kohan)