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Mary Cain
Santa Clara

Mary Cain is a full blooded Native American Indian. She was born in 1915 into the Santa Clara Pueblo. She began hand coiling traditional Santa Clara pottery in 1930. According to Mary, “Pottery has been a part of her family heritage since as long as her great grandmother can recall.” Mary’s mother, Cristina Naranjo, inspired and encouraged her to continue the long lived tradition of working with clay. Her grandmother, Serafina Tafoya, was also a great inspiration to her. Mary can trace her roots back to great, great grandparents Sarafina and Geronimo Tafoya.

Mary specializes in traditional hand coiled black on black or red Santa Clara hand polished pottery, with carvings of water serpents and bear paws. Mary says, “I love the work and will continue to do this for as long as I can.”

Publications:

-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Talking with the Clay
-Southwest Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
- Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies

Awards:

- Santa Fe Indian Market 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Place
-Eighth Northern Pueblo Exhibit 1st & 2nd Place
- New Mexico State Fair 1st Place

Aaron Cajero
Jemez

Aaron Cajero is a full blooded Native American Indian. He was born in 1966 into the Jemez Pueblo. Aaron is a member of the Fire Clan. He began working with clay art in 1993. He learned the traditional way of hand coiling pottery using ancient methods by the members of his family. They taught him all the fundamentals of working with clay artforms. Aaron was quoted as saying: “I enjoy working with pottery because it’s an expression of how I feel about the beauty in nature and native American arts using all natural materials with mother earth has blessed us with”.

Aaron specializes in a very unique style of pottery which is a contemporary hand polished style. He harvests his natural slips and clumps of raw clay from within the Jemez Pueblo. He breaks down the clumps of clay and adds sand to temper the clay and hand mixes with water and begins the hand coiling process the traditional way, which is rolling out the moist clay into snake like coils. Once his vessels are formed he sets them out to dry. Once his pieces are fully dried Aaron sands his vessels for a smooth finish. He hand carves various designs such as: bears, feathers, eagles, and serpents known as Avanyu’s which are believed to protect Pueblo People. He stone polishes his pieces to give it a beautiful shine. Aaron also fires his pottery the traditional way, outdoors with cedar woodchips. He signs his pottery as: Aaron Cajero, Jemez. He is related to: Joe Cajero (father), Esther Cajero (mother), Joe, Jr., Cajero (brother), Joetta Cajero, Loretta Cajero (sisters), Anita Cajero (spouse), Teri Cajero (daughter), and Aaron Cajero, Jr. (son).

Awards:

- Santa Fe Indian Market 1st Place 2000
- Santa Fe Indian Market 2nd Place
- Santa Fe Indian Market 3rd Place
- Santa Fe Indian Market Honorable Mention

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies

Anita Cajero
Jemez

Anita Cajero is a full blooded Native American Indian. She was born in 1965 into the Jemez Pueblo, she is a member of the Sun Clan. Anita began experimenting with clay at the age of 3, she learned all the fundamentals of working with natural pigments and slips from her family members and friends. Anita graduated with a BA from New Mexico Highlands University in 1983.

Anita specializes in hand sculpted and hand painted clay figurines, and traditional hand coiled pottery. She gathers her natural materials from within the Jemez Pueblo. Once her materials are harvested Anita breaks down the clumps of clay and temper, then, she mixes them together to begin the process of constructing her beautiful storytellers and fine pottery. She uses the pinch and coil method to build her figurines a similar technique to hand coiling. Once her figurine has been formed she allows the piece to dry. Once it has dried Anita uses a piece of sand paper to smooth out the rough edges. Finally, she is ready to hand paint using a stem of a yucca plant which is fashioned into a brush. When she is done with the painting she fires her pottery either the traditional way, outdoors, or in a kiln. Anita enjoys making clay figurines because it is a way to express the Pueblo Culture. She signs her art as: Anita Cajero, Jemez. She is related to John Carrillo (father), Teresita Loretto (mother), Aaron Cajero, Sr. (spouse), Julie Loretto, Felicia Loretto (sisters), Leonora Loretto (grandmother), Esther Cajero (mother-in-law), Teri Cajero (daughter), and Aaron Cajero, Jr. (son).

Awards:

-Eighth Northern Pueblo Indian Market
- Santa Fe Indian Market

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
- Pueblo and Navajo Contemporary Pottery
-Directory of Artists
-Storytellers and Other Figurative Pottery

Esther Cajero
Jemez

Esther Cajero, “Bird Image”, member of the Fire Clan, was born into the Jemez Pueblo in 1944. She signed up for a pottery class in college and that’s where her interest in pottery making was sparked. In 1980 she started experimenting with pottery again, while watching her Grandmother, Petra C. Romero, hand coil her pottery.

Esther specializes in handmade storytellers, clay sculptures, and can hand coil pottery. She digs up her own clay, mixes, shapes, paints, and fires her pottery the traditional way, outdoors. Esther uses all natural clays and natural paints. Sometimes Esther will accent her storytellers with a parasol to add a little flare. She customizes to special orders upon request. Esther signs her pottery as: E. Cajero, Bird Image, Jemez, followed by a title which she calls her figurines. Esther is related to the following artists: Joe V. Cajero, Jr. (son), and Gabriel Cajero (nephew).

Awards:

- Santa Fe Indian Market
-Heard Museum Art Show
- Colorado Indian Market
-Red Earth Indian Market
- Santa Monica Indian Market

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
-Storytellers and Other Figurative Pottery

Emery Calabaza
Santo Domigo

Emery Calabaza was born in 1958 into the Santo Domingo Pueblo. He was inspired on his own to make jewelry. He began hand making his jewelry in 1973 at the age of 15. Emery is a self taught jeweler. He was also inspired by his creativity and economic motivation.

Emery specializes in hand cut wafer stone jewelry. He will search for raw chunks of turquoise or jet (hardened coal). He slices and grinds down the chunks of stone into small flat round wafers that he can string into beautiful necklaces, and earrings. Emery’s quality of work in wafer stone cutting is one of the finest you can find today. He makes the single, double, and triple strand necklaces. Emery does not sign his name on his work because it is impossible to carve it anywhere on his jewelry.

Emery is related to the following artists: Lita Lovato (cousin) and Thomas Calabaza (uncle).

Awards:

-New Mexico State Fair 1996 2nd place

Publications:

-None to date

Hubert Candelaria
San Felipe

Hubert Candelaria, “Butterfly”, was born into the San Felipe Pueblo in 1965. He was inspired to continue a long lived tradition of working with clay by the late Maria Martinez, who was well known for her black on black pottery, and Nancy Youngblood. Hubert is a self taught artist. He began working with clay at the age of 21. He experimented with different types of clay until he found his own unique style. He admired Maria’s work and hoped that someday he could develop his own unique style to the art world. He has established himself as a fine artisan and has reached his goal of adding his own style to the art world.

Hubert specializes in hand coiled contemporary swirl, puzzle pots, and holey pots with sharp rounded ridges. He gathers his clay from the grounds within the San Felipe Pueblo. Hubert hand cleans, mixes, hand coils, shapes, sands, and fires his pottery in a kiln. He has established a reputation of a fine artsman. Hubert signs his pottery as: Hubert Candelaria, San Felipe Pueblo, followed by the date the pottery was made.

Awards:

- New Mexico State Fair
- Santa Fe Indian Market
- Gallup Intertribal

Publications:

-Southwest Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-Southwestern Pottery 1999 Edition
-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies

Myrtle Cata
San Felipe/San Juan

Myrtle Cata is a full blooded Native American Indian, member of the Turquoise Clan, who was born in 1953. She is part San Felipe and part San Juan Pueblo. She was inspired to continue the long lived tradition of hand coiling pottery from within her heart. The lucrative aspect of the business was also inspiration for her decision to become an artist. She has been hand coiling pottery since 1979. She attended many art classes to learn the art of working with clay. While going to school, she developed a friendship with Tina Garcia from the Santa Clara Pueblo. They shared special techniques and learned each other’s methods of working with clay.

Myrtle specializes in contemporary hand coiled San Juan style pottery. Her pottery style is simple in appearance. It is thin walled, graceful, and undecorated. She gathers her clay from within the San Juan Pueblo. Then, she cleans, mixes, hand coils, shapes, and fires her pottery, outdoors. She signs her pottery as: Myrtle Cata, San Juan Pueblo. Myrtle is a very creative artist that expands her creativity in many directions. She constructs men’s head dresses among many of her other creations.

Awards:

-1986 Santa Fe Indian Market 3rd place
-1997 Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial 1st place
-1998 Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial 1st place
-1999 New Mexico State Fair 4th Place

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni

Sophie Cata
Santa Clara

Sophie Cata, “Eagle Feather Basket”, was born in 1957 into the Santa Clara Pueblo. She was inspired to continue the family tradition of pottery making from Flora Naranjo (grandmother) and Frances Salazar (mother). She was taught all the fundamentals of pottery making at the age of 6. Sophie strongly believes in tradition.

Sophie specializes in handmade traditional Santa Clara pottery. The materials used to make her pottery is all provided to her from Mother Earth. She gathers her clay and white sand within the Santa Clara Pueblo. The clay & white sand are sifted for impurities, then mixed in equal parts to form a mud type clay. The pottery is hand-coiled, and this accounts for imperfections. When the pot is dried, designs are drawn with a pencil and carved out with carving tools. She then sands her pottery with sandpaper to make it round and smooth. She applies a red slip on her pottery and polishes it with a polishing stone. Firing takes place outdoors in an open kiln, the way of her ancestors, and slabs of bark are added to the fire. It needs to reach a temperature of 800 degrees. When she makes black pottery, horse dung is added to the fire to achieve a black finish. Her common designs are: bear paws, feather designs, water serpents, kiva steps, and cloud designs. Sophie signs her pottery as: Sophie Cata, Santa Clara Pueblo.

Awards:

-None to date

Publications:

- Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies

Barbara & Joseph Cerno
Acoma

Barbara & Joseph Cerno are full blooded Native Americans. Barbara was born in 1951 and is half Acoma and half Hopi. Joseph was born in 1947 into the Acoma Pueblo. Joseph was exposed to art at a very young age by his Mother and Grandmother They both were recognized coast to coast as prolific and established artisans. Joseph was exposed to their excellent craftsmanship and traditional ancient designs. His participation in the process of pottery making was not encouraged. However, he was intrigued by the designs and shapes of ancient pottery made by his ancestors. Joseph & Barbara are, essentially self taught artists. They are among some of the finest potter’s of our era.

Barbara & Joseph specialize in handmade traditional Acoma pottery. The clay is gathered within the Acoma Pueblo grounds. All the materials used to make their pottery is from Mother Earth. They clean, mix, coil, shape, sand, paint, and fire the pottery outdoors, just like their ancestors before them. They both participate and contribute equally while making their pottery. They are especially known for their brilliant and large olla pots, with painted patterns of traditional brilliant parrots. They have studied the ancient pottery shards found within the many ruins in their Pueblo , so that they keep within the traditional styles of their ancestors. They have dedicated many hours of trial and error in perfecting the skill and artistry necessary to make quality pottery. Joseph and Barbara are widely recognized as the creators of pottery products that truly reflect the traditional styling of their Indian Ancestors. They have proudly demonstrated their skills in many events and they have conducted several seminars under the auspices of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center of Cortez, CO. This has allowed them to extend their field of research into the the Museum of Western New Mexico University, which is recognized as one of the outstanding repositories of the Mimbres Cultures. They have won many awards in which are too numerous to list. The quality of these potter’s will endure for eternity. Every one of their pots

They have also introduced their children to the art of making pottery, the traditional way. They are very proud of their children who have won numerous awards and are establishing themselves as quality artists. They sign their pottery as: Acoma , NM , Barbara & Joseph Cerno, followed by the year the pot was made.

Awards:

-Too many awards to list

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
-American Indian Pottery 2nd Ed.
-Beyond Tradition
-Soutwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni

Michael Charlie
Navajo

Michael Charlie is a full blooded Native American Indian. He was born in 1976 into the Navajo Nation. He began his interest in crafting pottery when he was 16 years old. Mr. Charlie was inspired by his mother, Susie Charlie, who is credited for developing this unique style of art. She taught her son how to paint the colors on the pottery, as well as etch his pottery free hand. Michael crafts on many different shapes and sizes of pottery like wedding vases, seed pots, water vessels, and ollas. He etches feather designs and other geometric designs. His favorite pieces to craft are the ones he crafts with quality stones of turquoise inlayed into the pottery. Continuing long lived traditions is extremely important to Michael and by constructing his art he feels he is adding to the long lived legacy of his ancestors. The lucrative aspect of the business was also inspiration for him to become an artist. He signs his pottery as: Michael Charlie, Navajo

Michael is related to the following artists: Susie Charlie (mother), Terri Charlie (sister), Brandon Charlie and Myron Charlie (brothers).

Awards:

-None to date

Publications:

-None to date

Myron Charlie
Navajo

Myron Charlie is a full blooded Native American Indian. He was born into the Navajo Nation in 1975. He began his interest in crafting pottery when he was 14 years old, in 1985. Mr. Charlie was inspired by his mother, the well known Susie Charlie, credited for her etching on the popular navajo pottery. She taught her son how to paint the colors on the pottery, as well as etch his pottery free hand. Myron crafts all different shapes and sizes of pottery like wedding vases, seed pots, and other shapes of pottery. He etches feather designs and other geometric designs. His favorite pieces to craft are the ones he crafts with quality stones of turquoise inlayed into the pottery. Myron signs his art as: Myron H. Charlie, “Navajo”

Myron is related to the following artists: Susie Charlie (mother), Terri Charlie (sister), Brandon Charlie and Michael Charlie (brothers).

Awards:

-1994 Santa Monica CA 1st place
-1995 Pomona CA 1st place
-1996 Torrance CA 1st place
-Several other awards numerous to list

Publications:

-None to date

Denise Chavarria
Santa Clara-Tewa

Denise Chavarria was born in the early 1960’s and she is a full blooded Native American Indian from the Pueblo of Santa Clara-Tewa. She began working with clay at the age of 16. She was inspired by her mother, Stella Chavarria, to continue the long lived family tradition of making pottery using ancient traditional methods. Stella taught Denise all the fundamentals of working with clay and encouraged her to continue the family tradition and add to the legacy.

Denise specializes in hand coiling traditional black on black Santa Clara pottery. She gathers her clay from within the hills of the Santa Clara Pueblo. Next, she cleans the clay, mixes, hand coils, shapes, sands, etches, and fires her pottery, outdoors, using horse dung. Then, she adds a fine polish which she has mastered to perfection. She signs her pottery as: Denise Chavarria, Santa Clara Pueblo. She is related to the following artists: Teresita Naranjo (grandmother), and Loretta “Sunday” Chavarria (sister).

Publications:

-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Seven Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
- Pueblo Indian Pottery 750 Artist Biographies

Awards:

-Santa Fe Indian Market 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Place various years
-Eight Northern Arts & Crafts Show

Mildred Chavarria
Santa Clara

Mildred Chavarria, “Millie”, was born into the Santa Clara Pueblo back in 1946. She was inspired to make pottery by her mother Pablita Chavarria, who has won numerous awards. She began playing with clay at the age of 10, but didn’t spark much interest in pottery making until 1986.

Mildred specializes in the hand coiled and hand crafted, Santa Clara black on black pottery. She digs up her own clay from the sacred grounds within the Santa Clara Pueblo. She was taught how to mix clay, hand coil, shape, etch, fire, and polish her pottery the traditional way, outdoors. She enjoys carving elements of the earth or symbols of water serpents on her pottery. Mildred signs her pottery as: Millie Chavarria, Santa Clara , NM .

Mildred is also related to the following artists: Reycita Naranjo, Elizabeth Naranjo, Florence Browning, and Mary Singer.

Awards:

-None to date

Corrine Chino
Acoma

Corrine Chino is a full blooded Native American Indian from the pueblo of Acoma . She was born in the late 1950’s. Corrine did not spark an interest in pottery making until she was 26 years old. Her mother, Edna Chino, encouraged and taught Corrine all the fundamentals of hand coiling pottery using traditional ancient methods. Edna also reinforced the importance of continuing the long lived family tradition of working with clay. Corrine was a natural when it came to hand coiling and hand painting pottery. Her painting has always been exquisite.

Corrine developed a very fine painting style of black on white fine line. Corrine will add a feather pattern to the top rim in a blue color at times to add a bit of flare. Corrine specializes in hand painting on greenware pottery. However, she is very knowledgeable when it comes to hand coiling pottery, just like her mother. Corrine was quoted as saying, “I just love to paint, it brings balance to my life.” Corrine signs her pottery as: Corrine Chino, Acoma . She is related to the following artisans: Brian Chino (brother), Jay Vallo (sister), and Judy Shields (sister).

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
-Guest Life New Mexico Magazine
-Mary Laura’s Southwestern Art Calendar

Awards:

- New Mexico State Fair 2nd Place

Edna G. Chino
Acoma

Edna G. Chino is a full blooded Native American Indian. She was born into the Acoma Pueblo in 1935. Edna is a member of the Eagle Clan. Frances Torivio taught Edna all the fundamentals of work with clay art and using the ancient traditional hand coiling methods at the age of fifteen.

Edna specializes in hand coiled traditional fineline design pottery. She gathers her clay from within the Acoma Pueblo along with natural slips and natural vegetation which is used for making the natural colors used to paint the designs. When the clay is cleaned Edna hand mixes it with sand and water to temper the clay and she begins the hand coiling process. She enjoys coiling the traditional olla shapes which were used for water and cooking by her ancestors. Once the pot has been formed she sets it out to dry and begins breaking up the plant life that she has gathered such as spinach plant which provided the black color, yucca stems are fashioned into brushes for painting, and flowers are used for color. When the pot is fully dry she begins to hand sand her pottery for a smooth finish. Then, she begins the hand painting process The Chino family is well known for their hand painted finelines and floral designs. Finally, once the painting has been complete and the paint has dried Edna fires her pottery the traditional way of her ancestors, outdoors. She signs her pottery as: Chino . She is related to: Clifford L. Garcia (father), Lita L. Garcia (mother), Josephine Sanchez, Virginia Victorino, Maxine Sanchez (sisters), Corrine Chino, Jeanette “Jay” Vallo (daughters), Kevin Chino, the late, Brian Chino (sons).

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies

Awards:

- New Mexico State Fair 1st Place

Monica Chino
Acoma

Monica Chino is a full blooded Native American from the Acoma Pueblo. She was born in 1970. Monica was inspired by her mother, Emmalita Chino, to learn the art of pottery making. Emmalita taught Monica all the fundamentals of traditional pottery making. She also shared special techniques which Emmalita learned on her own, by trial and error. Monica seriously began making pottery at the age of 20. The lucrative aspect of the business also played a key roll in her becoming a fine artisan.

Monica specializes in handmade traditional pottery. She gathers natural pigments from within the Acoma Pueblo. Monica soaks the clay, grinds, cleans the clay for imperfections, mixes, hand coils, shapes, sands, polishes, paints, and fires her pottery, the traditional way, outdoors. She hand paints, without stencils or other means, intricate fine line patterns, some of which are borrowed from her mother. She also uses all natural paints derived from plants and minerals also found within her pueblo. Continuing the family tradition of pottery making is very important to her and it’s people like her that ensure its survival. Monica is related to the following artists: Marie Torivio (aunt), Loretta Garcia (aunt), and Rose Chino (aunt). Monica signs her pottery as: Monica Chino, Acoma , N.M. or M.C. Acoma, N.M.

Myra Chino
Acoma

Myra Chino was born into the Acoma Pueblo in 1965. Myra was a self taught artist. She began painting at a the age of 15. Myra was inspired to continue the family tradition of painting on pottery from her ancestors. Myra was a natural gifted painter and she was also economically motivated to paint on pottery.

Myra specializes in hand painting fine line and star burst patterns on ceramic pottery. She paints a little dot on all four sides of the pots to break up the pottery into sections so that every side will be the same size of the starburst pattern. Thus, continuing the process throughout the pot. The end result is this wonderful eye dazzling, hand painted pottery that mystifies all who appreciate the art of fine line designs. Myra signs her pottery as: Myra Chino, Acoma , NM .

Myra is related to the following artists: Victoria Sarracino (sister) and Carla Vallo (sister-in-law).

Publication:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies

Awards:

- None to date

Terrance M. Chino, Sr.

Terrance M. Chino, Sr. is a full blooded Native American Indian. He is a member of the Sun Clan and he was born in 1965 into the Acoma Pueblo. He learned the ancient traditional methods of working with clay art from his mother, the late, Evelyn L. Chino. She taught him all the fundamentals of where to gather clay and how to prepare and hand coil pottery. She also taught him the importance of continuing the long lived tradition of his ancestors.

Terrance gathers his clay, natural pigments, and vegetation from within the Acoma Pueblo. He cleans it for impurities and hand mixes it with sand and water to temper the clay. Then, he begins the hand coiling process, he prays and chants while he works on his pottery so that each piece is blessed. When he has completed the hand coiling and his pot has taken form he sets them out to dry. While the pottery is drying he breaks down all his plants so that he may begin hand boiling colors for his masterpieces. He gathers plants such as spinach plant and wild flowers for this process. When his pottery is fully dried he sands each piece to a smooth finish and begins hand painting with the stem of a yucca plant which has been fashioned into a brush. He hand paints his favorite designs of checkerboards, flowers, mimbres, and sunfaces. Finally, Terrance fires his pottery the traditional way, outdoors. He signs his pottery as: Terrance M. Chino, Sr., Acoma, N.M. Terrance is related to: Terrance M. Chino, Jr. (son) Emil Chino, Jeffrey Chino, Sr., (brothers), Ilona Chino, Colleen Marian, Marlene Vallo, Idene Mariano (sisters), Ivan F. Chino (father), and the late, Evelyn L. Chino (mother).

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies

Awards:

-None to date

Erna Chosa
Jemez

Erna Chosa, “Broom Flower”, member of the Sun Clan, was born in 1959 into the Jemez Pueblo. She was inspired to continue the family tradition of pottery making by her Grandmother, Sarah Collateta. In addition, the lucrative aspects of the business also motivated her. Erna has been making pottery since she was 19 years of age.

Erna chose to specialize in the Hopi traditional pottery instead of the Jemez styles. She learned all the fundamentals from watching others make their pottery. She enjoys making elegant and finely painted wedding vases best of all because of its ceremonial representation. Wedding vases have been a part of pueblo life for centuries. She also enjoys making seed pots. Erna hand coils her pottery the traditional way and she even fires her pottery outdoors. Erna signs her pottery as: E.C. Hopi-Tewa.

Erna is related to the following artists: Antonita Collateta (mother) and Kathleen Collateta (sister).

Awards:

-Jemez Art Show 1990 & 1992
-Eighth Northern Art Show 1988, 1989 & 1991
-Santo Domingo Art Show 1992 & 1993

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies

Reuel “Ral” Claw
Navajo

Reuel “Ral” Claw is a full blooded Native American Indian. He was born in 1960 into the Navajo Nation, and was raised in Tuba City , AZ. He married into the Nampeyo family (his wife is Carla Claw-Nampeyo). She is the granddaughter of the famous “Nampeyo”. Carla taught Ral all the fundamentals of hand coiling traditional Hopi pottery. She is a strong believer in continuing family traditions and encouraged him to learn the Hopi methods of pottery making. He has been working with clay since 1997.

Ral has crossed cultures and has developed his own unique style of art. He specializes in handmade Hopi pottery. However, his pottery represents the history of his Navajo people with some pertaining to the healing ceremonies, and others are stories of the Mountain People. Ral gathers his clay from within the Hopi Reservation along side of his wife. He cleans, mixes, hand coils, shapes, sands, paints, polishes, and fires his pottery, outdoors, with sheep dung. He paints contemporary styles of traditional warriors and healers on his pottery. He signs his pottery as: R. Claw, or Ral for short, followed by Navajo.

Ral is related to “Silver” John Claw, Jr. (father) known for his oil paintings.

Awards:

-None to date

Publications:

-None to date

Carla Claw Nampeyo
Hopi-Tewa

Carla Claw Nampeyo, member of the Snow Clan, was born in 1975 into the Hopi-Tewa Reservation. Carla is one of the granddaughters of the famous “Nampeyo”.She learned the art of working with clay in 1984. Thomas Polacca was the greatest influence in pointing Carla in the right direction of the traditional Hopi ways. Thomas taught Carla all the fundamentals of traditional pottery making. The lucrative aspect of the business was also a great inspiration to her.

Carla specializes in handmade traditional and contemporary styled pottery. She gathers all of her materials, like natural pigments, from the grounds within the Hopi Reservation. She cleans, mixes, hand coils, shapes, sands, paints and fires her own pottery. On her contemporary pottery she uses a sharp object to carve out kachinas, warriors, clowns, and traditional designs. Carla, finally, polishes her masterpieces with a sacred stone which is passed down to her from other artisans, which is a valuable gift to be honored with. Carla signs her pottery as: Carla Nampeyo, Hopi.

Fannie Polacca (grandmother), Iris Youvella (aunt), Nolan Youvella (cousin), Gary Polacca (brother), and Adelle Lalo-Nampeyo are among some of the finest potters that Carla is related to.

Awards:

-Hopi Art Show
-Gallup Ceremonial

Publications:

-Hopi-Tewa Pottery 500 Artist Biographies
-Beyond Tradition
-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Southwestern Pottery 1999 Edition

Farrell Cockrum
Blackfoot

Farrell Cockrum “See-It-Tan” (Front Saddle) was born in the early 1960’s. On Behalf of the Big Sky Country, home of the Native American Indian. As a member of the Blackfoot Nation, Farrell’s family passed down the heritage of their people to him. Farrell adds this heritage to his art work, and has been making his art for over 20 years. He was inspired to become an artist by his family who continued to encourage, support, and challenge him to continue his gift of creativity.

Farrell specializes in handmade contemporary clay sculptures such as, horses, bears, storytellers, and Native American people. He accents his masterpieces with traditional clothing made from clay and uses many different accessories to give his masterpieces a unique flare. As only Farrell can he adds a unique caricature and colorfulness to his sculptures. Farrell paints on traditional canvas as well as hand making his sculptures. Farrell signs his sculptures as: Farrell, followed by the year it was made. He is related to: Glenn Eagle Speaker, Winston Wadsworth, Jr., and William Weather Wax (uncle).

Publications:

-Southwest Art Magazine (October 1995)
-Guest Life Magazine
-Storytellers and Other Figurative Pottery

Prinston Collateta
Hopi-Tewa, Jemez, & Navajo

Prinston Collateta, “Drumming Boy”, was born in 1981. He is half Hopi-Tewa and part Navajo, and Jemez, member of the Sun Clan and Eagle Clan. Prinston began sculpting at the age of 7. He learned the art of sculpting on wood from his Father, Tom Collateta, Sr., and many other artists. Prinston also becomes more inspirational when he receives compliments on his carvings. This makes him want to continue to perfect his dolls even more.

Prinston specializes in hand carving Hopi kachina dolls from scratch. He strolls along the banks of the Rio Grande River , in search of good sizes of cotton wood root to carve his dolls from. He carves his dolls with just an ordinary pocket knife. He studies the wood that he finds then lets his imagination take over. He enjoys carving full bodied dolls like Eagle dancers and Sun face kachinas the most, because they represent his clans. Prinston signs his carvings as: P. Collateta, followed by a sunface along with the title of the kachina.

Prinston is related to the following artists: Tom Collateta, Jr., and Nero Collateta (brothers).

Awards:

- Polacca Day School 1st place

Carolyn Concho-Lewis
Acoma

Carolyn Concho-Lewis is a full blooded Native American Indian. She was born in 1963 into the Acoma Pueblo. She was inspired and encouraged to participate in continuing the long lived tradition of working with clay by several family members. However, Carolyn credits her older sister, Marilyn Ray-Lewis, with her decision to become an artist who only uses natural materials to construct her art work.

Carolyn specializes in hand coiled pottery using ancient traditional methods. She gathers her clay from within the Acoma Pueblo. She soaks the clay, cleans, mixes, hand coils, sands, paints her designs and fires her pottery outdoors. The colors used to paint her pottery are all derived from natural pigments and minerals also found within the Acoma Pueblo. Carolyn paints mimbres designs and animals on her pottery. She signs her pottery as: Carolyn Concho, Acoma . Carolyn is related to the following artists: Judy Lewis, Diane Lewis (sisters), Kathleen Lewis (mother), Bernard Lewis (brother), and Sharon Lewis (sisterin-law).

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-Southwestern Pottery 1999 Edition
-Beyond Tradition

Awards:

-Heard Museum Art Show 1st Place
-Santa Fe Indian Market 2nd Place
-Eighth Northern Pueblos Exhibit
-Gallup Indian Ceremonial Honorable Mention
-New Mexico State Fair 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Place various years
-1999 Santa Fe Indian Market 2nd Place

Arthur & Hilda Coriz
Santo Domingo

Arthur & Hilda Coriz are both prize winning, full blooded Native American Indians from the Santo Domingo Pueblo. Arthur was born in 1948 and deceased in winter of 1998. Hilda was born in 1949 and currently making pottery on her own. Arthur was a self taught artist. He observed his brother-in-law, Robert Tenorio and became inspired to learn the long lived tradition of working with clay. Hilda was coaxed by her brother, Robert Tenorio in the 1980’s to learn the art of working with clay. Continuing the traditions of their people are extremely important to them, and by working with clay they add to the long lived legacy of their people.

They specialize in handmade, hand painted traditional Santo Domingo pottery. They gather natural clays and other pigments from within the Santo Domingo Pueblo. They hand clean the clay, mix all the materials with water, and begin hand forming the pottery using the coiling method. When the product has been completed they set it out to dry. Once the pottery is dry they sand the finished product, they hand paint many different designs of birds, animals, flowers, and geometric designs with natural paints which they boil from pigments like spinach plant and honey bee wax. Finally, they fire their pottery the traditional way, outdoors. They sign their pottery as: Arthur & Hilda Coriz, followed by a hand etched pot. Paulita Pacheco (sister), Gilbert Pacheco (brother-in-law), Ione Coriz (daughter), Andrew Pacheco (nephew), Juanita Tenorio (mother), and Andrea Ortiz (grandmother) are among some of the artists they are related to.

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
-Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery
-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-Collections of Southwestern Pottery

Awards:

-Too many to list

Ava Marie “Cool-Ca-Ya” Coriz
Santo Domigo

Ava Marie “Cool-Ca-Ya” Coriz is a full blooded Native American Indian. She was born in 1948 into the Santo Domingo Pueblo. Ava is a member of the Antelope Clan. She was inspired to continue the long lived tradition of hand making jewelry from her ancestors. The lucrative aspect of the business also encouraged her to become a jewelry artist.

Ava specializes in constructing hand strung and hand ground beaded necklaces. She was taught all the fundamentals of working with raw nuggets of various stones at the age of 14. She learned the art of working with silver in 1969. Today, Ava combines her knowledge of stones and silver to construct the finest beaded necklaces, using quality stones in the process. Ava is related to: Rodney Coriz, Daniel Coriz (nephews), and Lupe Pena (father).

Awards:

-1997 New Mexico State Fair 2nd Place
-1996 New Mexico State Fair 3rd Place
-1995 New Mexico State Fair 2nd Place

Publications:

- New Mexico Magazine

Dolores Curran
Santa Clara

Dolores Curran is a full blooded Native American Indian. She was born into the Santa Clara and San Juan Pueblo. She learned the basics of constructing pottery using the ancient traditional methods of her ancestors from her grandmother, who only knew how to mix the clay which was enough to spark an interest in several of the family members who united and brought back the pottery making tradition in their family. She has been constructing pottery since 1979.

Dolores has developed her own unique style of contemporary hand polished miniature pottery. She gathers her raw clumps of clay and natural vegetation from within the Santa Clara Pueblo. She breaks down the clumps to form a fine powder form and hand mixes water with volcanic ash, and water. Once the clay is mixed to a fine medium she begins to build her pottery by hand coiling snake like coils and wrapping each layer on one another. When her pottery takes the right shape she sets them out to dry and when they are dried she sands down all the rough edges for a fine smooth finish, then, she hand polishes and hand paints her designs with colors that she has boiled from the natural vegetation. Her favorite designs are: Avanyu (serpent believed to protect Pueblo People), feathers, clouds, and bears. She signs her pottery as: Delores Curran SCP. She is related to: Alvin Curran (husband), Ursula (daughter), Kevin Naranjo (nephew), and Geri Naranjo (sister).

Publications:

-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
-Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-The New Mexican Magazine Summer 1993

Awards:

-2001 New Mexico State Fair 3rd Place
-1998 Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Division
-1993 Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Classification
-1992 Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Division
-1991 Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Division
-1990 Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Division
-1989 Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Division
-1988 Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Division
-1986 Santa Fe Indian Market First Place
-1984 Santa Fe Indian Market First Place

Manuel Curtis
Navajo

Manuel Curtis was born in 1976 into the Navajo Nation. He was inspired to learn the process of hand making Navajo kachina dolls, by his friend, (Ronnie Foster), his creativity, and economic motivation also played a key roll. He began making his dolls in 1993 at the age of 17. He began by assisting Ronnie construct his Hopi kachina sculptures. He took the knowledge he acquired from him and came up with his own style of sculptures.

Manuel specializes in hand making the large Navajo kachina dolls. He takes strolls down by the Rio Grande River in search of raw materials like cottonwood root to create his kachinas. Manuel accents his dolls with leather, feathers, bells, and uses acrylic paints to make his fine art. His favorite one to make is the koshare clown. Manuel signs his kachina dolls as: By Manuel Curtis, followed by the name of the kachina.

Manuel is related to Bernice Todicheenie (mother), who creates sand paintings.

Awards:

-None to date

Publications:

-None to date