Celebrating Pueblo Art and Culture

Every time I spend time in Santa Fe in July presenting our SchoolArts/CRIZMAC seminars, I always think I can blog about it while it is happening. That doesn't ever seem to work out, though, so after the fact I'll try to summarize working with Dawning Pollen from Taos Pueblo.

One highlight of Celebrating Pueblo Art and Culture was getting to work firsthand with Dawning Pollen, an artist from Taos Pueblo. She brought clay she had prepared from the Pueblo for our participants to use and worked with us all day, taking with her the pieces we had made so that they could begin drying.

Pollen brought pieces of her own work to show, as well as some bean pots made by her mother. Taos pottery usually does not have a glaze or slip so the mica in the clay can be seen.

Working with the micaeous clay was quite an experience. The clay was much more supple and plastic than commercially prepared clays.

This is one of Pollen's distinctive clay works. She uses paint and beads to embellish some of her pieces.

Pollen had spent some time teaching clay in Taos elementary schools and her skill as a teacher was evident.

More of Pollen's work.

Some of the day's work from our participants.

On our last full day, we went to Pollen's mother's house in Taos to fire the work. While it was firing we all went to Taos Pueblo. 

Then we went back for lunch and to unveil the pots. Pollen's mother surprised us with wonderful, fresh fry bread, apricot jam, and beans cooked in a micaeous pot.

Pollen's mother's fry bread.

Stevie, Pollen, and Nancy

I'll summarize the rest of Celebrating Pueblo Art and Culture in my next post since we also learned from John Reyna, visited Raymond and Gabby Tenorio at Santa Domingo Pueblo, and went to the Andrea Fisher Gallery, Roxanne Swentzell's Tower Gallery, and the Poeh Center.