AFA Winter 2019

Fig. 3: Dextra Quotskuyva Nampeyo (Hopi-Tewa, 1928–2019), Sherd Pot, n.d. Earthenware, 3½ x 12 (diam.) in. Crocker Art Museum; Gift of Loren G. Lipson, M.D. (2017.110.18). Mu s eum i n Sa cr amento opened a n exhibition of more than two hundred ceramic vessels and scu lptures by premier pueblo potters of New Mexico and Arizona. Pueblo Dynasties: Master Potters from Matriarchs to Contemporaries focuses on the legendary matriarchs and their a r t i s t i c a l l y a d v e n t u r e s ome descendants, whose works have become increasingly elaborate, det a i led, persona l, and e ven political, over time. The Crocker’s overall ceramics collection is one of the largest public collections in the United States and includes more than 5,000 examples from the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The institution’s American Indian pottery Antiques & Fine Art 73 A merican Indians of the Southwest began to make pottery at least two thousand years ago, passing their skills from generation to generation, a tradition that continues to this day. Geographic variations in clay, along with local preferences for certain designs and shapes, meant that recognizable styles became associated with certain villages, which the Spanish called pueblos. When the railroad began to bring visitors to the Southwest in the late nineteenth century, it spurred a market for pottery as art. Makers started to sign their work, and individual potters became known and their pieces collected. These artists drew inspiration from their ancestors and built upon established traditions. In September, the Crocker Art t Fig. 2: Attributed to Nampeyo of Hano (Hopi-Tewa, ca. 1856–1942), Bowl with Mission Design, ca. 1905. Earthenware, 3 x 10 (diam.) in. Crocker Art Museum; Gift of Loren G. Lipson, M.D. (2015.21.1).