Centennial Year 2022 and beyond
As I sit here and wonder how the future will hold for the potters from Zuni Pueblo. Zuni pottery has been in existence for a very long time, I always wonder what the future will hold in the next 10-15 years? It will be up to our own master potters to continually aspire young and upcoming future potters to educate why we promote the Zuni Pottery styles. We just don't create pottery, we create reflect and tell ourselves to continue to learn this ancient technique of coiling and hand building. Emerging potters do not understand the importance of the "life-line" that needs to be painted and left open, why the deer motif has to be painted/facing in the forward direction, and why you can't blow off the sanding dust when you're perfecting your wares. Being newly retired this year, I hope that the students that I taught throughout these 31.5 years has learned a lot to gain for themselves so they will venture out to expose themselves for their art in the world. As for myself, I will continue to strive for myself and to educate who comes in my way of what I know to pass on. I do not want to have the Zuni Pottery decline like back in the 1980's that I have learned.
This 101 years of Indian Market has grown to a bigger stage. There were a lot of people that attended this annual show and as I look back to the booth mates that I gotten to meet again with two Navajo Weavers and a new team from Santa Clara with their Black ware Pots. I wonder where all my other Zuni Potters are? My high school counter part Anderson Peynetsa and his son and his relative Gaylon Westika were the only potters from Zuni that I know of that show cased their Zuni Pottery. Few of the silversmiths, fetish carvers, and painters were in attendance. I hope that more potters will get on the band wagon to represent the Pueblo of Zuni with the ASHIWI Polychrome pottery. I see that the Rio Grand Northern Pueblos are well represented at this prestigious art show. If they reach out to me, I would certainly educate them of how to get prepared and be part of this unique group of potters to show and tell of how the Zuni Pottery originated. My expertise door is always open, let's see who will reach out to get this started.
More to come so stay tuned.
