Contemporary Native American Artists

Kitty Leaken

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781423605591
• eBook ISBN: 9781423622758
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Art General

Contemporary Native American artists have a strong presence in the North American and international art markets. This talented group’s work can be found in many annual events, an ever-changing array of fine art galleries, and a number of museums throughout North America. These artists give visible form to the past, present, and future of American Indian life. In Contemporary Native American Artists, key luminaries of the Native American art world are brought together through stunning photography and intimate portrayals of their lives and art.

The Artists

Jody Naranjo

Jody Naranjo, Santa Clara Pueblo, points to her famous sgraffito work on a pot with her signature “Crazy Horse” motif.

Jody Naranjo has created a personal style that is at once ageless and contemporary, incorporating playful modern imagery into ancient pottery forms to produce enduring works of art. She is an innovator in a family as noted for its individualists as it is for its place in a long and storied tradition. The Naranjo family is one of several Santa Clara Pueblo dynasties that have had a major influence in making Southwestern Indian pottery famous around the world.

Naranjo literally grew up in her art. By the time she was fifteen years old, she was selling her pottery on the portal of the New Mexico History Museum, located in the historic Palace of the Governors on the Plaza in Santa Fe. When she was in her early twenties, she realized that she was not bound to ancestral designs. People were responding so positively to her own style that she simply took off with it.

Her process remains deeply traditional. She digs her clay out of a hillside on the pueblo lands, and goes through the arduous procedure of sifting, soaking, straining, and cleaning that is required to make the raw clay into a sculptural, pottery-grade medium. She is adept at the coil method of forming a long, thin roll of clay into a flat spiral to make a base, and then starting up from the rim to make walls, smoothing and building as the piece takes shape under her hands. Sometimes she carves deeply into the walls to make dimensional designs before firing, and sometimes she incises a finished piece to create delicately drawn figures. She follows the pit-firing tradition of the Pueblo potters, and uses polishing stones that belonged to her grandmother. It is a slow, lovely process that brings the clay to life just as it has for centuries.

In Naranjo’s hands, the living clay fairly sings with new ideas and wise humor. Each piece is instantly recognizable as hers alone. Her fame has spread exponentially; her work is owned by major museums and by a large and devoted following of private collectors.

Jody Naranjo breaks new ground with each departure from conventional subject matter, even as she carries on the strong art tradition into which she was born. She remains genuine and down-to-earth, having fun with her friends, and proudly mothering her three daughters. She loves to participate in Indian Market and museum shows. And year after year, she works with earth and fire to create great art, moving through her days with energy and joy.

Tools for sgraffito work.

Jody with another signature pot outside the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe.

A rare opportunity to experience Jody’s skill in firing her pots (in high heels!). She will only fire her pots at Santa Clara Pueblo. It is the place she knows best and where she feels safest, and she can trust that her pots will do well when fired on ancestral lands. She uses scrap pieces of metal that she has appropriated just for her firing needs. First, the pots are seasoned by being slowly exposed to increasing degrees of heat. When the pots have reached a certain temperature, they are enclosed in a sort of protective box—here, pieces of metal that Jody favors for the job.

Wood is then placed around the box for the actual firing.

After the flames and heat have subsided, three perfectly fired pots are allowed to cool.

From ashes . . . great art. While her pots are still hot, Jody inspects them for damage during firing. Luckily they are all intact and are ready for etching, just in time for Indian Market.

Jody Naranjo, Pot Pourri. Santa Clara clay with acrylic, 4.5 x 4 in. Photo by Addison Doty.

Jody Naranjo, Gone Fishin’. Santa Clara clay, 9.5 x 9 in. Private collection. Photo by Addison Doty.

Jody Naranjo, Gill-bert with Two Ls. Santa Clara clay pot with acrylic, 4.5 x 4 in., with fish sculpture, 5.25 x 9 x 3.5 in. Habel Collection. Photo by Addison Doty.

Jody Naranjo, Jenny. Santa Clara clay seed pot, 2.5 x 2.75 in. Bird sculpture, Santa Clara clay with acrylic, 7 x 4.5 x 4 in. Private collect...

Table of contents

• Foreword Bruce Bernstein, Ph.D.
• Contemporary Native American Artists: A Bridge of Time and Place
• The Artists
• Contact Information