Storytellers Old and New

A Tale of Two Potters

Cochiti Pueblo is located about 25 miles from Santa Fe. You'll pass it on your left on your way from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. Cochiti is known for its often humorous storyteller figurines, first created in 1964 by Helen Cordero, who was inspired by memories of her grandfather telling her stories and by a tradition in her Pueblo of clay figures.

Cordero has said of her work: "All my potteries come out of my heart. They're my little people. I talk to them and they are singing. If you're listening, you can hear them." Cordero's original storyteller can be seen in Santa Fe at the Museum of International Folk Art. You'll get to see it this summer if you join SchoolArts/CRIZMAC Celebrating Pueblo Art and Culture and Folk Art Extravaganza. (Find out more details here).

There is an elementary school named after Cordero in Albuquerque and there are a number of great children's books about her.

Storyteller figures have become more popular since Cordero's first one and many people make them now, not just artists from Cochiti. They are often represented as small animals such as bears or coyotes with clinging small listeners or women with babies on their backs. You can learn more about Helen Cordero and her work here in the Collector's Guide.
“The thought has never crossed my mind to be anything other than an artist and fashion designer. Art is in my blood." Virgil Ortiz, a Cochiti Pueblo Native.



These days Virgil Ortiz, contemporary Cochiti potter, has transformed his pueblo's traditions by combining historical forms with images from visual culture. Traditionally, painted designs were executed with carbon black or boiled residue of the bee plant over cream-colored slip on clay gathered from Cochiti Pueblo lands. Ortiz has kept these colors but uses them to portray tattoo-like designs on striking humanoid figures and forms. You can see many of his works on his website, though you might preview them before you show them to students. Ortiz, as do many contemporary artists, works in many media, including fashion and film.

I think the contrast between the two Cochiti potters is a great example of how art forms can go from traditional, transitional, and transformational forms. It also presents an opportunity to consider thoughtful discussion of questions such as: Are Native American artists expected to include any references to traditional forms in their work? Should only Native Americans artists use Native American imagery in their work? Should non-Native artists copy Native American work? Exploring such questions can lead to significant discussions with your students.