Books

books

Pueblo Pottery & Artwork

New Additions

Upcoming Events

About the Gallery

We are pleased to recommend the following books:

"Born of Fire: The Life and Pottery of Margaret Tafoya"

by Charles S. King

Regarded as one of the great masters of Pueblo ceramics, Margaret Tafoya (1904-2001) is known for her trademark large black polished ceramics, decorated with traditional imagery of rain clouds, water serpents, bear paws, and other symbols. An award-winning artist, she was recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, and a National Heritage Fellowship.

This book is the first complete biography of Margaret Tafoya's life. It is divided into decades, giving the reader a deeper understanding of her life and pottery over nearly 100 years. It is also the first book to help identify and date her pottery thorough the use of her signatures. There are additional biographies on Virginia Ebelacker, Richard Ebelacker, Lee Tafoya, Linda Tafoya, Jennie Trammel, Mela Youngblood, Nathan Youngblood, Nancy Youngblood, Toni Roller, Jeff Roller, LuAnn Tafoya, Daryl Whitegeese, Mary Ester Archuleta and Shirley Tafoya. The photography of the pottery in this book is exceptional. Personal narratives by family members and family photographs throughout the book create a wonderful sense of her humanity and artistic accomplishments.

Hardcover, 160 pages

$45.00

"Crafted to Perfection"

by Sheila Hoffman

This dynamic book was written to accompany an exhibit of Pueblo Pottery at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art in Corning, NY. The pottery is part of the collection of Nancy and Alan Cameros, which includes signed historic pieces and contemporary work from a variety of pueblos and Hopi. The book includes numerous color images of the pottery. There initial essays are a brilliant academic analysis of trends in Pueblo pottery. There are informative and interesting brief biographies of a variety of potters including Maria Martinez, Popovi Da, Lucy Lewis, Nathan Youngblood, Nancy Youngblood, Hubert Candelario, Autumn Borts, Tammy Garcia, Les Namingha, Jody Folwell, Susan Folwell, Rebecca Lucario, Rainy Naha, Rondina Huma, Steve Lucas, Yvonne Lucas and many others. Published in 2007, it is one of the most up-to-date books with information on contemporary potters.

Hardcover, 192 pages

$40.00

"Free Spirit: The New Native American Potter"

By Garth Clark

This book was written in connection with a 2005 exhibition in Amsterdam of five contemporary Pueblo potters. There are biographies and images of work by Virgil Ortiz, Susan Folwell, Nathan Begaye, Diego Romero and Christine McHorse. Definitely a must read for those interested in contemporary Pueblo pottery!

Hardcover Book, 127 Pages

$30.00

"The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez"

By Richard Spivey

"The ceramicist Maria Poveka Martinez (1887-1980), known to the world as “Maria,” continues, more than two decades after her death, to be the most famous and recognizable Native American artist ever known. Partly it is that her pots, humbly called, are breathtaking works of art no matter the comparison. It is also true that by virtue of her enormously generous spirit and radiant being she managed a kind of approachability that most legends protect themselves against. We feel we know her when her pots have touched us, and out of this exchange something is better in this world.

The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez is Richard L. Spivey’s masterwork as well, his tribute to a friendship with a great artist that began with Maria’s son Popovi Da and extended to Maria and to many of her family members who joined over the years in the collaborations that brought San Ildefonso ceramic art to the world while reviving its ancient roots for every generation of artist to come.

Two hundred fine examples of Maria’s pottery are reproduced, many heretofore hidden in private collections and museum storage. Among these are nine magnificent storage jars comprising the entirety of the artist’s production in this form. The author’s long association with the family yields reflections on the artist and her important collaborative relationships with Julian Martinez, their son Popovi Da, and daughter-in-law Santana Martinez. The artistic achievements of Maria and Julian’s descendants document significant developments in Pueblo ceramics at San Ildefonso. Many of grandson Tony Da’s works are assembled for the first time.

All of the pottery types and design motifs are here in the best examples from a career that spanned some seventy productive years, along with their identifying signatures, but it is the container of Maria’s life that holds it all with such heart."

Hardcover, 208 pages
$60.00

"HOPI-TEWA POTTERY 500 ARTISTS BIOGRAPHIES"
by Greg Schaaf

"The potters and their families will have something to feel proud of, looking back at these people and their work. It gives a lot of credit to them..." Dextra Quotskuyva - Hopi-Tewa potter, Corn Clan. "This is the first time that a comprehensive survey and database for Indian artists have been done. It has been a long time in coming, and its impact will be significant for Indian artists and collectors of Indian art for decades to come." Greg Cajete, Santa Clara Pueblo, Assistant Professor University of New Mexico and Institute of American Indian Arts The Center for Indigenous Arts and Cultures is proud to present the Hopi-Tewa potter's book, the first volume in our new series, "American Indian Art Series." This book is designed to introduce people to the artists and tho their fine art pottery. Featuring 450 illustrations and artists portraits, historic village scenes, authentic signatures and hallmarks, pottery making and hundreds of pots, the volume profiles over 500 artists over the past two centuries.

Hardback -

$80.00

"PUEBLO INDIAN POTTERY - 750 ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES"
by Greg Schaaf

The Center for Indigenous Arts and Cultures is proud to present the second volume in the "American Indian Art Series." This new books follows on the heels of the successfully produced Hopi- Tewa Pottery: 500 Artist Biographies. This new volume profiles over 750 artists from the past two centuries, featuring over 500 illustrations of artist portraits, hundreds of pots and historic village scenes. Included are family tree charts. As in the Hopi Biography book, Greg Schaaf has used over thirty pots from our gallery - so it is very exciting to see so much of our inventory in print. A terrific reference book for any interested person collecting the pottery of the Northern Pueblos.

Hardback 295 pages
$55 .00

"SOUTHERN PUEBLO POTTERY - 2000 ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES"
by Greg Schaaf

Featuring: Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez & Pecos, Laguna, San Felipe, Sandia, Santa Ana, Santo Domingo, Tigua/Ysleta del Sur, Zia, Zuni
Once again, Greg has used over thirty pots and photos from our gallery so for those of you that have bought pots from us from those Pueblos- you very well may find YOUR pots in this book! A great addition to the series that includes his past two Pottery Biography Books

Hardback -

$65.00

"TALKING WITH CLAY THE ART OF PUEBLO POTTERY IN THE 21ST CENTURY"
By Stephen Trimmble

When you hold a Pueblo pot in your hands, you feel a tactile connection through the clay to the potter and to centuries of tradition. You will find no better guide to this feeling than Talking with the Clay. Stephen Trimble's photographs capture the spirit of Pueblo pottery in its stunning variety, from the glittering micaceous jars of Taos Pueblo to the famous black ware of San Ildefonso Pueblo, from the bold black-on-white designs of Acoma Pueblo to the rich red and gold polychromes of the Hopi villages. His portraits of potters communicate the elegance and warmth of these artists, for this is the potters' book. Revealed through dozens of conversations, their stories and dreams span seven generations and more than a century, revealing how potterymaking helps bridge the gap between worlds, between humans and clay, springing from old ways but embracing change. In this revised, expanded, and redesigned edition, Trimble brings his classic into the twenty-first century with interviews and photographs from a new generation of potters working to preserve the miraculous balance between tradition and innovation.

2007. 160 pages, Paper Cover

$27.95

POTTERY BY AMERICAN INDIAN WOMEN: THE LEGACY OF GENERATIONS
BY SUSAN PETERSON

A personal look at three generations of American Indian women who made (and are still making) the 20 th Century's most beautiful and important pottery. The work of 29 women - among them Maria Martinez, Margaret Tafoya, Lucy Lewis, Dextra Nampeyo, Dorothy Torivio, Dora of San Ildefonso, Anita Fields, Jody Folwell, Lorraine Williams - is presented in specially commissioned photographs with detailed explanations of their themes, techniques, and meanings.

Hardback

$55.00

ART OF CLAY: TIMELESS POTTERY OF THE SOUTHWEST
BY LEE COHAN

The works of 20 Native American Potters are featured in this stunning but reasonably priced coffee-table book. Museum quality pots and figures from the late 19th and 20th centuries are dramatically photographed in full color and accompanied by essays on each artist by Southwestern historians and art experts. "Art of Clay is well balanced between photographs and text, capturing the spirit of both the artist and their work."(The Bloomsbury Review) Works by potters like Maria, Dora, Russell Sanchez, Jody Folwell, Margaret Tafoya, AL Q, etc are featured.

96 color photographs, 139 pages, Hardback

$39.95