Native American Craft Tradition in a Contemporary World
Marcus Amerman
Rick Bartow
Harvey A. Begay
Doug Coffin
Richard Danay
Tony Jojola
Clara Neptune Keezer
James Little
Rosemary "Apple Blossom" Lonewolf
Truman Lowe
David Neel
Verma Nequatewa
The Ortiz Family
Norbert Peshlakai
Wendy Ponca
Al Qöyawayma
Diego Romero
Preston Singletary
Richard Zane Smith
Roxanne Swentzell
C. S. Tarpley
Tim Tiger
Margaret Wood
Nathan Youngblood
Inez Ortiz - Mermaids
Glazed clay, courtesy of Robert Nichols Gallery, Santa Fe
Joyce Ortiz - Hippie Couple
Glazed clay, courtesy of Robert Nichols Gallery, Santa Fe
Janice Ortiz - Jo Mama
Glazed clay, courtesy of Robert Nichols Gallery, Santa Fe
Virgil Ortiz - Mer-Man and Mer-Maid
Glazed clay ,courtesy of Robert Nichols Gallery, Santa Fe
Seferina Ortiz - Man with Frogs
Glazed clay , courtesy of Robert Nichols Gallery, Santa Fe
The Ortiz Family (Cochiti Pueblo) is the latest in a long line of Southwestern Indians making figurative pottery. Cochiti Pueblo is well known for pottery "storyteller" figures. They are usually seated, almost always female, and often have one or more children on their laps or backs. The matriarch of the family is Seferina Ortiz, who learned her craft from her mother Laurencita Herrera. She encouraged her daughters Inez, Janice and Joyce, to follow her lead. All are skilled at making storyteller and animal figures, with Joyce well known for her mermaid and nativity sets. Her son, Virgil Ortiz, pioneered a revival of the 19th century style of standing human figures, including social commentary. A close-knit family, they share the tasks of gathering clay and tempering sand, with communal firing with cow dung fuel, usually at Seferina's house. The Ortiz family show deep respect for the tradition of their people, while exercising their individual creativity.
Exhibit | Philip
Morris
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