Clay work is among the world\'s oldest forms of creative expression; by the very nature of its substance, it rests among those mediums most profoundly connected to their fundamental sources. Pottery is one of the most studied, analyzed and dissected of all indigenous art forms and, historically speaking, has been and remains a considerable contributor to the annals of North America\'s first societies and Native America\'s contemporary artistic legacy.

Over time the most efficient techniques of the ceramicist have been modified and refined, shared, stolen, borrowed, traded, adopted and interchanged. Various components of ceramic art have made their way through mountain ranges; over vast prairies; and across seas. Yet even in light of this prolific movement, pottery is arguably one of the most closely guarded of all North American art forms, tribal or otherwise.

The means of making pottery vary widely, and though each individual potter profiled here has her own preferences in regard to method and material, they share a philosophy which acknowledges the importance of the carrying on of tradition, and holds that privilege and responsibility in the highest esteem.

Ultimately, these fundamental philosophies are of greater significance than variations in technique. With pottery, the ends are often more important than the means. And the willingness of the artist to remain pliable is of great value, as this is essential to the art\'s survival.

Mary Lewis Garcia (Acoma Pueblo)
"The potter\'s life has never been easy. It has always been a hard way to make a living, but it\'s important to continue the traditions."

Mary Lewis Garcia is regarded one of the Southwest\'s greatest pottery talents. The earliest days of her career produced mainly the black and white fine-lined vessels for which Acoma Pueblo is now celebrated, and for which her own family achieved great renown. She worked in this style for some time, mastering each step of the process, from gathering the raw materials to make clay to the final phase of firing, contributing a considerable quantity of fine-art pottery to the genre. She then began experimenting with the increasingly rare polychrome designs of Acoma\'s past.

"We would go out to gather old pot shards to use in the clay, and I began noticing that many of the shards held pieces of old polychrome designs, so I decided to try some of them in my work. I did some Mimbres designs, too, earlier on, which I learned about through my own research. But when I saw the designs on those old shards that we had found, and on the pots at the Lab [Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe], I saw how beautiful they were and thought to myself, \'No one is using these designs anymore,\' and I wondered why they had been left behind for so long."

The ancient and weathered shards inspired her, and through her personal and profound affinity with the clay for nearly four decades, and her years of research and teaching (from 1989 to 1998 at the University of New Mexico and at the University of Minnesota), Lewis Garcia reignited an interest in the polychrome designs among her contemporaries and their collectors. Her traditionally made pots and bowls are elaborately painted, often depicting animals, elemental patterns and other nature symbols, as well as abstract geometric shapes and configurations.

Preferring her own studio to galleries and shops, Lewis Garcia maintains a direct interaction with her clients, knowing firsthand to whom each piece goes. "I know it\'s far, and it takes time to get out here [to Acoma Pueblo], but if someone really wants one of my pieces, they\'re usually willing to make the journey."

Lewis Garcia acknowledges the guidance of her mother, Acoma\'s famous potter Lucy M. Lewis. "My mother wouldn\'t shape the clay for me, or paint my designs. She made me do it on my own. She knew I could do it myself, she saw that in me, and encouraged me to try. My mother was never negative when I made a mistake or when something went wrong."

She just told me to do it over until finally I got it right. Making pottery is hard work, but when one of my children or grandchildren comes to me and asks me to teach them how to make pottery, I can do it. Then I know that all of my hard work has been worth it."

The work of Mary Lewis Garcia has been included in exhibitions throughout the nation and in Canada, including Andrea Fisher Fine Pottery in Santa Fe, the Fredric R. Wiseman Art Museum in Minnesota, the Cincinnati Art Museum and the University of Edmonton in Alberta.

Pahponee (Kansas Kickapoo/Potowatomi)
"There\'s always DNA involved in what I do. There is never a moment when I feel removed from what I\'m doing. No matter what kind of clay or tool I\'m using, I am never detached from what I\'m creating or from what courses through my blood."

Pahponee ("Snow Woman") is a self-taught artist who lives and works in Elizabeth, Colorado. She draws greatly upon the traditions of her Great Lakes tribal ancestry, as well as from modern technology, to create one-of-a-kind clay vessels. Depending on the composition of the vessels\' clay, using both the coil method of building pots and the potter\'s wheel, pre-1800s outdoor firing methods of the Great Lakes people and an electric kiln, Pahponee creatively embraces old and new, applying both with versatility and innovation.

"I\'m not ashamed of technology. I use the tools that are available to me, as artists always have. Some tools are more reliable than others. Each vessel I make is designed to tell a story, so I use those tools that are most reliable, and that can best help me to tell the story."

Pahponee\'s artistic endeavors began about twenty years ago, when she was inspired to work with clay. With much trial and error she worked through the challenges of her genre, eventually perfecting her various clay recipes, some of which include minerals and pigments from as far away as Canada and England. Over the years she has established herself as a contemporary artist, offering primarily larger pieces (including occasional reproductions of utilitarian-style vessels made by her predecessors generations ago) usually exceeding 12 inches in height, in red or white finishes. The vessels often portray animals, and some, with their elegantly scalloped shapes and gracefully tapering necks, resemble seashells and ancient Greek vases.

"I was inspired to use my creativity, and pottery seemed like the best, most appropriate way for me to do that. The clay allowed me to use my own creative ideas to build on what had been done before me, and to find my own place within the tradition of ceramic art."

Her own place is now a prominent one, with a career marked with numerous honors, including several Best of Show and Best of Division awards at Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Museum Indian Market, Red Earth, the University of Kansas Indian Art Exhibition and the Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market. She has also won the coveted Potter of the Year and Artist of the Year awards from the Indian Arts and Crafts Association. Despite her acclaim, Pahponee remains firmly rooted in her own priorities of family and tradition, working without the limitations of externally dictated values.

"It has to be about more than awards and prestige; it has to be fulfilling as an expression of my creative spirit."

Tammy Garcia (Santa Clara Pueblo)
"I believe that each of us has an inherent God-given talent, a gift. If we use our gifts to the best of our abilities, we can succeed at what we put our minds to, but we must use them in order to retain them or they may be lost."

Tammy Garcia stands among today\'s most noted ceramic artists, revered for the large vases, jars and bowls she shapes from traditional clay; carves with a variety of design elements including birds and animals, nature symbols and intricate scenes of Pueblo dances; then fires to glass-like finishes in red or black. Over almost two decades her work has evolved into a well-defined, individualistic style easily recognizable to collectors as well as to casual admirers. In recent years, Garcia has branched out into new applications of clay work, casting decorative tiles, moderately sized bronze sculptures, and large, wall-length panels, some of which reside in her Taos, New Mexico studio.

Garcia\'s art has always incorporated a strong sense of artistic innovation, which can be seen in her earliest creations as well as in her latest. Her exceptional mastery of technique and her willingness to venture beyond previously established standards in clay work have afforded Garcia the ability to create her own standards.

"I need the challenge of trying new things. I don\'t want to repeat the same shapes and designs all the time. Sometimes the shape of a piece changes as I\'m working on it, and I have to give in to the change. Sometimes the clay speaks, and I have to listen."

Growing up at Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, Garcia learned to make pottery by watching her mother, Linda Cain, and grandmother, Mary Cain. She began with small vessels and figurines, and then moved into more challenging shapes and sizes that incorporated increasingly complex designs. By the late 1980s Garcia was potting full time, and soon thereafter was a top contender in the medium. Her untiring pursuit of improvement has kept Garcia\'s clay work fresh and energized.

Garcia\'s reputation and the demand for her work is astounding, backed by a multitude of awards, including First Place and Best of Show awards from Santa Fe Indian Market and a Southwestern Association for Indian Arts Fellowship. A number of museums and galleries throughout the United States have displayed her work, and collectors from every corner of the globe vie for her creations.
"I\'ll continue to strive for improvement, to work toward creating the best work that I can. That\'s the most important thing. Sometimes an artist evolves with their art and I hope I can continue to evolve with mine."

Autumn Borts (Santa Clara Pueblo)
"Pottery ties me to an ancient tradition; it connects me to my ancestors. Knowing that a thousand grandmothers did this before me is amazing, and to have been born into this heritage is a gift."

Autumn Borts has quietly arrived at her place among the best of today\'s contemporary ceramicists. Her unhurried but steady climb upward over the past ten years has been marked by many successes, among them several important commissions (including one from the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe), inclusion in a number of distinguished museum and gallery exhibitions, and, most recently, acceptance into Santa Fe Indian Market.

Like many Pueblo potters, Borts learned her skill from watching her mother and grandmother work with clay throughout her childhood. Though her first attempts at shaping the clay were met with some difficulty, over time Borts began to develop and refine her intrinsic talent. She fashioned animal figurines and nativity sets and continued to work on fine-tuning her technical skills, such as coiling, polishing and firing. Clay preparation was of course an integral part of her education, and Borts soon mastered that as well.

"All of this knowledge I hold very dear to my heart, because it was passed down to me from the women in my family. The clay gives me energy, and I\'m grateful to be part of this tradition."

Much of Borts\' work is inspired by the shapes and design elements of traditional Santa Clara pottery, and carved with motifs depicting various animals, birds, insects, flowers, kiva steps and elements of nature such as water, clouds and stylized rain patterns. Some vessels contain combinations of these designs, strategically intertwined on the surfaces of tall, cylindrical vases or very large round or square-shaped jars.

"I love the old traditional shapes and designs, but I also enjoy making more contemporary pieces. To take something so old and form it into your own expression-to take a traditional form and turn it into something contemporary-that\'s so gratifying. It\'s a painstaking process to make pottery, but when I see the finished pieces I start to get excited about what\'s coming next, and I feel inspired to start working on something new."

"My mother shared her gift of knowledge with me, the knowledge to make pottery. M y father also shared his gift of knowledge with me, the knowledge to play music. He wanted me to be a guitarist. That would have been pretty cool, too, I suppose, but I guess the clay called louder."