About
Residency Dates
  • November 2013 – November 2013
Region
Mexico
Membership
Dignicraft

Purepecha artisan Herlinda Morales is from the community of
Santa Fe de la Laguna, located on the banks of Lake Patzcuaro in the State of
Michoacan, Mexico. As heir to the family tradition that goes back to her
great-grandfather, Herlinda makes candelabras in a variety of shapes and sizes,
broadening the scheme which was originally made for the Day of the Dead
celebration. Her candelabras are adorned with elements that are present in her
daily life, like butterflies, flowers and birds.

Herlinda Morales is considered one of the five Grand Masters
of Mexican Popular Art and the only woman to have the prestigious title in her
community, on behalf of the prestigious foundation “Fomento Cultural Banamex”.
She has been a guest artisan in 2010, 2011 and 2013 at the Santa Fe
International Folk Art Market, in New Mexico.

For over 15 years she has been an active member of the
women’s organization “Grupo Uarhi,” which seeks to improve the living
conditions of the Purepecha communities, and is one of the few artisans in
Mexico that managed to stop using lead-glaze in her pottery. Her inspiring
story is portrayed in the feature length documentary Brilliant Soil.