Award-Winning Native American Potter
Lucy Martin Lewis was born in a mesa in Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, to Lola Santiago and Martin Ortiz. Her actual birthdate is unknown. But when the eldest son, Ivan, joined the Marines during World War II, the family changed their last name to Lewis.
Lucy would spend her entire life in Acoma Pueblo, and as a seven-year-old, she learned to fashion pottery in much the same way as many other Native American potters: through observing and experimenting. With young Lucy, it was mainly by watching her great aunt, Helice Vallo. Using local clay from an area that only local Pueblo dwellers knew about, Helice made traditional pottery. By experimenting as she watched, in time, Lucy would grow in skill to become a renowned specialist in the Acoma style.
Ash bowls that were easily made, and which were sold for five or ten cents apiece, were Lucy's first sales. As her skills developed, she sold her wares-unsigned-and with traditional Acoma designs at roadside stands along the historic Route 66 and other highways.
Although Lucy would someday enjoy renown as a potter, it was not until she was forty-eight years old that she would win a prize for her work-a Blue Ribbon at the Intertribal Indian Celebration. But many other honors would follow. In 1983, her pottery won the New Mexico Governor's Award. In 1996, Lucy's' wares were included in collections in the Smithsonian Art Museum (formerly the National Museum of American Art), Washington, D.C.
As her pottery styles continued to grow in popularity and value, Lucy began signing her name on her creations. Her pieces were also becoming so highly prized that they were also included in other museum collections around the country.
As a leading Native American potter, Lucy was invited across the United States to teach ceramics workshops; and as a leading Native American potter, she never turned down a single invitation. Otherwise, she lived her entire life in the land of her birth.
As for her style, Lucy continued to develop it, sometimes incorporating shards of ancient pottery in her pieces as an inspiration. Lewis also developed eye-catching ways to incorporate traditional patterns and designs which contrasted with those of other Acoma potters.
For the remainder of her life-more than seventy years-Lucy taught other Native American women her craft of creating dung-fired white pottery-unique in its having black geometric ancestral thin-line abstraction designs.
Her legacy lives on through her many children and grandchildren who, in creating their own pottery, carry on the tradition established by their mega-talented predecessor and esteemed relative, Lucy Martin Lewis.
Sources:
Artist Lucy M. Lewis: Art +Artists/ Artists Webpage
Native American Pottery website (Lucy M. Lewis)
National Museum of American Art (CD-ROM) New York; Washington DC.
Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM)
Wikipedia
KB Schaller, International Book Award-winning author: 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World, Women's Issues Category. Whatsoever the Sacrifice and other KB Schaller books are available through amazon.com and other booksellers.
