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Why does Acoma Pueblo pottery cost so much?

Tags: Acoma Pueblo, Native American art, pueblo pottery, Carolyn concho, Rebecca Lucario, Diane Lewis

Acoma Pueblo is one of the Southwest’s best known Native American Indian communities. It sits just south of heavily traveled Interstate 40. It’s almost impossible to miss. You actually would have to be sleeping while someone else drives. Its Sky City Casino is aggressively marketed and easily accessible from the Interstate.

The true jewel of the pueblo, however, is the original pueblo village and artists that inhabit or work from it. Sitting atop a soaring, steep-walled mesa, the pueblo village is said to have been built to protect the Acoma people from invasion and destruction. While not completely effective; Spanish Catholic missionaries managed to penetrate the protective measures, build a village church and convert many Acoma residents to Catholicism., preservation of the culture has persisted in the elegantly beautiful pottery the pueblo has become famous for.

Two of the most famous potters were Lucy Lewis and Rose Chino. Both are deceased but their work lives on in museums across the country where Native American culture and art are honored.

Later generations have continued to produce distinctive Acoma pottery. Among them are members of a seperate Lewis family, Sharon Lewis, Diane Lewis, Carolyn Lewis Concho, Rebecca Lucario, Judy Lewis and Marilyn Henderson. These “sisters in the clay” are not related to the family of Lucy Lewis. But they have shaped a reputation and a future for themselves based on their own beautiful work.

The work of the Lewis “sisters” often includes small pots that are known as seedpots. They are recognizable by the small hole that traditionally was used to insert seeds and shake them out at planting time. It is said the small hole was a feature design keep out hungry rodents and insects. The earliest versions of the seed pot were plain and utilitarian.

Over time, they became more design oriented, with extremely detailed art applied to the exterior of their thin white walls. Three dimensional elements were added to bring even more appeal to their design. The holes in these decorative but now non-functional “seedpots” were made smaller, just large enough to allow the inside of the pot to breathe during firing.

These delightful little artistic inventions from the hands of such talented and accomplished potters, often carry price tags that new collectors find off-putting. How can such a small pot be worth so much?

Let’s start with the raw material. It is dug from special clay deposits miles from the pueblo village. They are only accessible by foot, requiring long and tiring journeys before any refinement of the clay begins.

The clay emerges from the deposits in rock-like chunks that are hard as slate. The chunks must be broken up by hand. Sometimes the newly mined clay is dry. Other times it is damp and requires drying for several days before the next step takes place. That is to sift and winnow the clay to separate out unwanted elements such as small stones and pieces of wood. The remaining clay is crushed by hand using a stone to grind it fine. After that, temper, in the form of finely ground potsherds from old broken pots is added to the clay. This serves as binder to give it strength and pliability, important for the time the pot is fired. The quality of Acoma clay results in pottery walls that are almost impossibly thin, yet quite strong.

The next step is equally critical, equally challenging and even more demanding of knowledge, experience and sensitivity. It is the process by which the dry clay becomes the precious amalgam from which the pot is formed. The dry, tempered clay is slowly mixed with water and more temper add until the pottery artist, believes it has the right texture and consistency to be made into a pot.

The pot is started by placing the clay in gourd, basket or other bowl that supports the base as coils of clay are added around the upper edges. This work can take place over a long period, with delays to let each coil “set” enough to support the next coil. Eventually the shape is defined and the scraping of the surface begins. A gourd is used to smooth out the walls of the pot. This scraping takes place in stages, allowing for drying to take place, until it is as thin as the potter wants. Finally, it is burnished with a smooth “sanding” stone.

Even with the naturally white clay that Acoma potters use, they prefer to overcoat the pot with what is known as a “slip”. The slip is made up of fine clay and water, roughly the consistency of paint. By using a special, white kaolin clay, the potter achieves a starkly white finish. It is superb as a surface to accept the fine designs the potter will apply. After several coats of slip have been applied and allowed to dry between applications, the surface is again polished with smooth stone.

The next step is painting. Paints used by Acoma artists result in a distinctively colorful product. The “paints” are in fact new clays that have been tempered with vegetable binders and mineral pigments. These plants and pigments are as much a part of the secret of fine Acoma pottery as are the harvesting and preparation of the pottery clay. Experience plays a role in determining when the consistency of the pigment, binder and water are just right. If it is too powdery, the paint is likely to flake off when the pot is fired. If it is too thin, it is likely to fade and lose its vibrancy.

The process of painting has its own special requirements as well. Traditional pottery painting is done, not with a commercial brush but with a sliver of yucca that has chewed or cut down to a fine point. The intricacy and detail of the fine line painting is even more impressive when considered in this context.

The next and final step is the firing. But first, since we are talking about painting lets explore the designs used traditionally on the pots. Herons, quail and other birds, including parrots and macaws, make frequent appearances. Lizards are a common subject, as are fish and turtles. Floral imagery also is used. Many of the interpretations are reminiscent of what has come to be known as Mimbres designs, traced back to an ancient people that may have been ancestors of the Acoma people. Other symbolism is included in the designs, such as those representing rain (fine line cross hatching), clouds (stepped designs), raindrops (double dots) and other symbols that stand for elements of life-giving water and fertility. There is a cosmic quality to the combinations of designs and forms that speak of earth, sky and life that is both infinite and temporal.

And so the pot makes its way to fire. In the earliest days, the pots were fired outdoors in open fire pits, subject to weather and temperature changes. As a result, breakage was common. The more delicate the form, the more likely it was to be lost to the vagaries of firing.

Experts say that firing of Acoma pottery has been done primarily in electric kilns since the 1970s. As a result of the more consistent, higher temperatures provided by a kiln, thin-walled Acoma pottery has become even stronger. This also has encouraged the kind of whimsical touches - three dimensional turtles, ladybugs, butterflies, dragonflies and lizards in deep relief – that now appear in the most charming seed pots by the Lewis “sisters”.

Author’s Note: While most Acoma pottery makers continue to use the “old ways” of hand-building pottery, some in the younger generation have succumbed to the temptation of the easy way and have begun buying pre-formed, molded pottery, also known “greenware”, to which only painting is done. As such pots find their way to market, you will see them with much lower prices. But then again, you get what you pay for. A greenware pot will never have the value that a traditional, hand-built pot does.

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<h1>Why does Acoma Pueblo pottery cost so much?</h1><br />by eyewriter<br /><b>Acoma Pueblo</b> is one of the Southwest’s best known Native American Indian communities. It sits just south of heavily traveled Interstate 40. It’s almost impossible to miss. You actually would have to be sleeping while someone else drives. Its Sky City Casino is aggressively marketed and easily accessible from the Interstate.<br /><br />The true jewel of the pueblo, however, is the original pueblo village and artists that inhabit or work from it. Sitting atop a soaring, steep-walled mesa, the pueblo village is said to have been built to protect the Acoma people from invasion and destruction. While not completely effective; Spanish Catholic missionaries managed to penetrate the protective measures, build a village church and convert many Acoma residents to Catholicism., preservation of the culture has persisted in the elegantly beautiful pottery the pueblo has become famous for.<br /><br />Two of the most famous potters were <b><i>Lucy Lewis</b></i> and <b><i>Rose Chino</b></i>. Both are deceased but their work lives on in museums across the country where Native American culture and art are honored.<br /><br />Later generations have continued to produce distinctive Acoma pottery. Among them are members of a seperate Lewis family, <b><i>Sharon Lewis, Diane Lewis, Carolyn Lewis Concho, Rebecca Lucario, Judy Lewis</b></i> and <b><i>Marilyn Henderson.</b></i> These “sisters in the clay” are not related to the family of Lucy Lewis. But they have shaped a reputation and a future for themselves based on their own beautiful work.<br /><br />The work of the Lewis “sisters” often includes small pots that are known as <b>seedpots</b>. They are recognizable by the small hole that traditionally was used to insert seeds and shake them out at planting time. It is said the small hole was a feature design keep out hungry rodents and insects. The earliest versions of the seed pot were plain and utilitarian.<br /><br />Over time, they became more design oriented, with extremely detailed art applied to the exterior of their thin white walls. Three dimensional elements were added to bring even more appeal to their design. The holes in these decorative but now non-functional “seedpots” were made smaller, just large enough to allow the inside of the pot to breathe during firing.<br /><br />These delightful little artistic inventions from the hands of such talented and accomplished potters, often carry price tags that new collectors find off-putting. How can such a small pot be worth so much?<br /><br /><b>Let’s start with the raw material.</b> It is dug from special clay deposits miles from the pueblo village. They are only accessible by foot, requiring long and tiring journeys before any refinement of the clay begins.<br /><br />The clay emerges from the deposits in rock-like chunks that are hard as slate. The chunks must be broken up by hand. Sometimes the newly mined clay is dry. Other times it is damp and requires drying for several days before the next step takes place. That is to sift and winnow the clay to separate out unwanted elements such as small stones and pieces of wood. The remaining clay is crushed by hand using a stone to grind it fine. After that, temper, in the form of finely ground potsherds from old broken pots is added to the clay. This serves as binder to give it strength and pliability, important for the time the pot is fired. The quality of Acoma clay results in pottery walls that are almost impossibly thin, yet quite strong.<br /><br />The next step is equally critical, equally challenging and even more demanding of knowledge, experience and sensitivity. It is the process by which the dry clay becomes the precious amalgam from which the pot is formed. The dry, tempered clay is slowly mixed with water and more temper add until the pottery artist, believes it has the right texture and consistency to be made into a pot.<br /><br />The pot is started by placing the clay in gourd, basket or other bowl that supports the base as coils of clay are added around the upper edges. This work can take place over a long period, with delays to let each coil “set” enough to support the next coil. Eventually the shape is defined and the scraping of the surface begins. A gourd is used to smooth out the walls of the pot. This scraping takes place in stages, allowing for drying to take place, until it is as thin as the potter wants. Finally, it is burnished with a smooth “sanding” stone.<br /><br />Even with the naturally white clay that Acoma potters use, they prefer to overcoat the pot with what is known as a “slip”. The slip is made up of fine clay and water, roughly the consistency of paint. By using a special, white kaolin clay, the potter achieves a starkly white finish. It is superb as a surface to accept the fine designs the potter will apply. After several coats of slip have been applied and allowed to dry between applications, the surface is again polished with smooth stone.<br /><br />The next step is painting. Paints used by Acoma artists result in a distinctively colorful product. The “paints” are in fact new clays that have been tempered with vegetable binders and mineral pigments. These plants and pigments are as much a part of the secret of fine Acoma pottery as are the harvesting and preparation of the pottery clay. Experience plays a role in determining when the consistency of the pigment, binder and water are just right. If it is too powdery, the paint is likely to flake off when the pot is fired. If it is too thin, it is likely to fade and lose its vibrancy.<br /><br />The process of painting has its own special requirements as well. Traditional pottery painting is done, not with a commercial brush but with a sliver of yucca that has chewed or cut down to a fine point. The intricacy and detail of the fine line painting is even more impressive when considered in this context.<br /><br /><b>The next and final step is the firing.</b> But first, since we are talking about painting lets explore the designs used traditionally on the pots. Herons, quail and other birds, including parrots and macaws, make frequent appearances. Lizards are a common subject, as are fish and turtles. Floral imagery also is used. Many of the interpretations are reminiscent of what has come to be known as Mimbres designs, traced back to an ancient people that may have been ancestors of the Acoma people. Other symbolism is included in the designs, such as those representing rain (fine line cross hatching), clouds (stepped designs), raindrops (double dots) and other symbols that stand for elements of life-giving water and fertility. There is a cosmic quality to the combinations of designs and forms that speak of earth, sky and life that is both infinite and temporal.<br /><br />And so the pot makes its way to fire. In the earliest days, the pots were fired outdoors in open fire pits, subject to weather and temperature changes. As a result, breakage was common. The more delicate the form, the more likely it was to be lost to the vagaries of firing.<br /><br />Experts say that firing of Acoma pottery has been done primarily in electric kilns since the 1970s. As a result of the more consistent, higher temperatures provided by a kiln, thin-walled Acoma pottery has become even stronger. This also has encouraged the kind of whimsical touches - three dimensional turtles, ladybugs, butterflies, dragonflies and lizards in deep relief – that now appear in the most charming seed pots by the Lewis “sisters”.<br /><br /><b><i>Author’s Note:</b></i> While most Acoma pottery makers continue to use the “old ways” of hand-building pottery, some in the younger generation have succumbed to the temptation of the easy way and have begun buying pre-formed, molded pottery, also known “greenware”, to which only painting is done. As such pots find their way to market, you will see them with much lower prices. But then again, you get what you pay for. A greenware pot will never have the value that a traditional, hand-built pot does.<br /><br /><h2>About the Author</h2><p>William Ernest Waites and his wife, Susanne, own and operate a gallery specializing in tribal art, including a web site at <a href="http://www.native-potterylink.com">Native-PotteryLink.com</a> that presents Acoma pottery for sale. Waites, who also is a published writer with 50 years of credits, also blogs about tribal art at </p> <br /><h3><a href="http://www.content4reprint.com/culture-and-society/art/why-does-acoma-pueblo-pottery-cost-so-much.htm" title="Why does Acoma Pueblo pottery cost so much?">Article Source:</a> <a href="http://www.content4reprint.com" title="Free high quality articles">Content for Reprint</a></h3>