
LUCY LEWIS TRADITIONAL POTTERY MAKING |
Dolores
Lewis & Emma Lewis
Daughters
of Lucy Lewis
Aug. 1-8, 2010
Tuition: $565, Materials: $50,
Pueblo Tour: $10,
Traditional Feast: $25.
Beginning to Advanced
Class
limited to 15 participants
Class Schedule | Notes on Schedule
Differences & Similarities
Learn
More about
Lucy Lewis
Special Features! | Lodging | ACOMA Image |
"We consider our pots to have a life of their own."
~ Lucy Lewis
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Lucy
Lewis is regarded as the matriarch of Acoma pottery and
alongside Maria Martinez, is one of the best known Southwestern
potters. She started making pottery around the turn of
the century, continuing a tradition dating back hundreds,
if not thousands of years.
We are extraordinarily privileged to have two of
Lucy's daughters
lead us in this workshop. Both Dolores and Emma are dedicated
to using the authentic processes and techniques that have
been traditional to Acoma potters for centuries. They
will lead us through each of the time honored steps necessary
to the creation of authentic Acoma pottery. After demonstrating
their methods, they will give us a lot of personal attention
as we prepare the clay, tools, and paints, and then begin
our traditional pottery making experience.
This experience
is dedicated to the authentic processes and techniques
that have been traditional to Puebloan Potters for Centuries.
You will be led through each time-honored step necessary
to create authentic pottery. Along the way we will share
stories of the Ancestors, for these experiences are as
much about Culture as they are about Clay. In these classes,
you will:
• Work with Native Clay Bodies, dug by your teachers from the same clay pits used by Lucy Lewis.
• Hand form 2 small pots with the coil/slab method which are
then highly burnished with a smooth river stone and slipped with white kaolin.
• Create your very own ‘yucca brush’ from the rib of the Yucca plant, about 4 " long, with one end chewed to form a brush. This sounds primitive, but it is actually the most efficient way to paint a straight line on a curved surface.
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Lucy Lewis, ca. 1950 |
• Paint Traditional designs on your pots, using both mineral and vegetal paints you will learn to grind by hand, using a Metate.
• Fire your pots, with traditional open-pit firing, using either cow-dung or wood chips.
• Participants in this class will take home some fine, small examples of this magnificent pottery, made with our own hands.
View a National Geographic Article: Pueblo Pottery, 1982
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Feel free to Call us for more Information about this wonderful workshop.
We love to chat about our classes. |
SPECIAL
FEATURES!
Wednesday 10 AM: We will join Dolores and Emma for the Traditional Corn Dance and Feast of San Lorenzo at Santo Domingo Pueblo. This centuries old event, honoring the Corn Mother who feeds us all, features beautiful, costumed dancers, their feet bared for direct contact with Mother Earth.
Saturday 3:30 PM: We will enjoy a group tour of the breathtaking Acoma Pueblo known as Sky City. Acoma is the oldest continously inhabited city in the United States.
Saturday 6:00 PM: The Lewis Clan will prepare and join us for a traditional feast.
Note: Friends and family members of class participants, who are not attending the workshop, are welcome to join us for these events for a small additional fee. Advanced registrations is essential. Please call the office to arrange.
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Acoma - Sky City |
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The photo above is by Edward Curtis ca. 1890.
The Acoma women make the daily trip to the cistern of rain water.
To gather water for their families.
The pottery they made was essential for the survival of their families.
About Acoma - "Sky City"
More about Acoma at Wikipedia
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CLASS SCHEDCULE FOR LUCY LEWIS POTTERY WORKSHOP ©
Aug 1-8 |
Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thur |
Fri |
Sat |
Sun |
Albuquerque
to Taos
Check in
& lodging
2 - 5 PM
5:30 - 6:30
Wine/
Cheese Reception
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9 AM
class starts
Form 1st
Pot
PM
class
ends
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8:00 AM
leave for
Santo
Domingo Pueblo
10 - 3
CORN
DANCE
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Traditional
Feast
at 6 PM |
8 AM
Dung firing
at Lewis valley home
Noon - Firing complete
PM –
no class
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Kachina
Lodge,
Taos |
Kachina
Lodge,
Taos |
Kachina
Lodge,
Taos |
Kachina
Lodge,
Taos |
Kachina
Lodge,
Taos |
Kachina
Lodge,
Taos |
Acoma Lodging Sky City Hotel |
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NOTES ON SCHEDULE
Reception: An opening Wine/Cheese reception will be held
at the Kachina Lodge.Your teachers will be in attendance,
dressed in Traditional Dress, and introductions will be
made. Family members and friends traveling with students
are welcome to attend. Afterward, students may break
up into groups, or travel as individuals to several nearby
restaurants. There is a full service restaurant in
the hotel for those who have had enough travel for one
day !
Class times: Class will be from 9 - 5 each day with a lunch
break to go to one of several nearby restaurants. Students
also have the option to bring a snack/lunch to eat in
the clay studio.
Wednesday: We leave early to join Dolores and Emma
for the Traditional Corn Dance & Feast of San Lorenzo at Santo Domingo Pueblo. This centuries
old event, honoring the Corn Mother who feeds us all,
features beautiful, costumed dancers, their feet bared
for direct contact with Mother Earth. This event will
be seen continuously from 10 AM around 3 PM since
there are 2 Pueblo groups which alternate: Turquoise Group
& Pumpkin Group. There are many booths with traditional
food for sale, as well as art & craft items to purchase.
Because Santo Domingo Pueblo is located near the ancient
Cerrillos turquoise mines, the village people have a distinguished
history of making fine jewelry and heishi. The Santo Domingo
people are still great traders, very much like their Mesa
Verde and Chaco Canyon ancestors. Many roadside stands
with jewelry, pottery and silverwork for sale can be found
during a visit to this pueblo. Look for these special
items and others during the Festivals. NOTE: Photography
is not permitted at this sacred event. Also, Both
Men & Women are requested not to wear shorts. Bring
a Hat.
Saturday : Our pots will dry overnight on Friday. In the morning we head for Acoma in individual cars and will need an early start for the 5 hour drive. There is an optional lunch at the Yaaka (corn) café at Acoma before our 3:30 pueblo tour. We check into our Casino accommodations at 5 PM and get ready for the 6 PM Traditional Feast
About Acoma - "Sky City"
More about Acoma at Wikipedia
Drive Times:
The Santo Domingo Pueblo is located
25 miles south of Santa Fe, off I-25 at the Santo Domingo
exit. The drive is approximately 2 hours South of Taos,
and, one half an hour SW of Santa Fe.
Our final day students will need to drive in their own vehicles from Taos to Acoma, approximately 5 hours south-west.
Final Day (Sunday): Our traditional Dung Firing will take place early in the morning at the Lewis home, located in the valley beneath the 367’ mesa. Participants may leave with their pots around noon. It is about a 2 hour drive to the Albuquerque airport, so a 3 PM flight is the earliest possible.
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Learn More
About Lucy Lewis |
AMERICAN INDIAN POTTER
Lucy M. Lewis
by Susan Peterson

The Acoma pueblo is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement
in North America. This Indian community, which probably dates
back over a millennium, was home to one of America's most talented
and innovative potters-Lucy M Lewis (d. 1992). Born around the
turn of the century, Lewis rose from humble origins to become
one of the most important craftsperson's of this century. As
mother, matriarch, and artist, she created a monumental statement
of her society. She absorbed the work of her Indian ancestors,
and from their ancient designs fashioned a modern sensibility
that brought Indian pottery into the twentieth century.
She began making pots at an early age, teaching herself from
shards she had found around her home. With age, practice, and
a keen eye came perfection, and eventually admirers. Her pieces
are now in the collections of prominent museums in New York,
Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, as well as throughout the
Southwest.
Susan Peterson's intimate biography is a major accomplishment.
It captures the essence of this inspirational women with candor
and affection. Over 220 color plates (and 120 black-and-white
photos) convey the life and work of Lucy and her family. Lucy
M. Lewis: American Indian Potter not only offers insights into
the sources and milieu of Lewis' vast talent, but documents
the achievements of one of America's greatest native craftswomen.
For Further Reading about
The Lucy Lewis Family:
- Generations in Clay: Pueblo Pottery of the American Southwest,
by Alfred E. Dittert, Jr., Fred Plog
- ACOMA: Pueblo in the Sky, by Ward Alan Minge
- Acoma & Laguna Pottery, by Rick Dillingham
- ACOMA: People of the White Rock, by H.L. James
- Women Artists: Works from the National Museum of Women
in the Arts
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Daughters of the Anasazi:
Lucy Lewis, Emma Lewis Mitchell, Delores Lewis Garcia
Produced and Directed by John Anthony

Length: 28 minutes.VHS tape available used on Amazon.com. Or you can get the DVD at http://www.amaco.com/shop/product-316-daughters-of-the-anasazi.html
More and more I find myself drawn to ceramic videos dealing with historical subjects or traditional ways of working. This well-produced video is one of those, focusing on the work of Lucy Lewis and her daughters Emma Lewis Mitchell and Delores Lewis Garcia, Acoma pueblo potters. As they carry on the pottery traditions of the Anasazi Indians, who inhabited the Chaco Canyon region of New Mexico until 1300 AD, we see the painstaking production of their ceramic vessels and hear the rationale for their methods.
Clay is dug from the hills, carried home, and stone ground by hand. Centuries-old Anasazi pot shards are pounded to bits for grog, literally incorporating the old into the new. Pinch and coil methods are used for construction; everything is slipped and burnished preparatory to painting, and then the pots are decorated.
Paints are produced from hand-selected and ground rocks, mixed with water and a binder made of wild spinach juice and the Rocky Mountain bee plant. Brushes come from the yucca plant (well chewed for added
softness). These traditional methods of production give the pots their spirit, it is said. The painting is elaborate, intricate and beautiful, using symbols referring to "Mother Nature", and designs both traditional and individual. Then the pots are fired in cow dung, cleaned, and sold. It's like "giving away one's babies," we are told by one of the artists.
A very interesting film recommended for both potters and non-potters.
Reviewed by Richard Aerni. Studio Potter Network Newsletter, Autumn, 1992.
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Lodging:
First 6 days and Nights:
Students are invited to stay together at the Kachina Lodge along with the teacher. This includes a full breakfast every morning with your group before class. It also includes Happy Hour Wine & Cheese at your meet-and-greet, with your teacher, on Sunday at 6 PM. Also includes a van to class available (in Taos only) & taxes.
Check-in Sunday afternoon. Check-out Saturday morning.
Final Night:
The final night, Saturday Night, is spent at the Sky City Hotel near the Acoma Pueblo.
Last morning Breakfast at Acoma on your own.
Kachina: Check-in Sunday PM, 8/1. Check-out Saturday AM 8/8.
Sky City: Check-in Saturday PM, 8/7; Check-out Sunday AM 8/8.
Housing Prices:
$430: Each Double occupancy
$551: Single Occupancy.
These housing arrangements are paid directly to the school and are included in your Invoice/Registration Form. (This is an approximate price only. Exact price to be listed upon assignment of the hotel.)
Please let us know whether you want a single or double room. (Doubles are
contingent upon finding a roommate for you from within your class.) |
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TAOS ART SCHOOL
P.O. BOX 2588, TAOS, NEW MEXICO, 87571
575-758-0350
http://taosartschool.org
Web site created and maintained by: AngelStar Creations
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