1. Maria Martinez was from the San Ildefonso Pueblo, a community located 20 miles northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
17 Facts About Maria Martinez
1. 2.
Maria Martinez's given name Po've'ka in the Tewa language means pond lily or water lily.
3.
Maria Martinez's intention was to place recreated pots in museums and thus preserve the ancient art form.
4.
Maria Martinez was known in the Tewa pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico for making thin pots quickly.
5.
Maria Martinez discovered, from observing the Tafoya family of Santa Clara Pueblo, who still practiced traditional pottery techniques, that smothering the fire surrounding the pottery during the outdoor firing process caused the smoke to be trapped and is deposited into the clay, creating various shades of black to gunmetal color.
6.
Maria Martinez was greatly encouraged by this interest and resolutely began trying to perfect the art of black ware pottery.
7.
Maria Martinez often was assisted by her husband or children.
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Malvina Hoffman 8.
Maria Martinez used variations of her signature on her pots throughout her lifetime.
9.
Maria Martinez left Julian's signature off the pieces to respect the Pueblo culture until 1925.
10.
Maria Martinez's family began helping with the pottery business after Julian's death.
11.
Maria Martinez won many awards and presented her pottery at several world fairs and received the initial grant for the National Endowment for the Arts to fund a Martinez pottery workshop in 1973.
12.
Maria Martinez passed on her knowledge and skill to many others including her family, other women in the pueblo, and students in the outside world.
13.
When in 1932 she was asked to teach by the government Indian school in Santa Fe, Maria Martinez refused to do so: "I come and I work and they can watch," she stated.
14.
Maria Martinez received honorary doctorates during her lifetime from the University of Colorado and the University of New Mexico.
15.
Maria Martinez's portrait was created by Malvina Hoffman, a notable American sculptor.
16.
In 1978 Maria Martinez had a major solo exhibition at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution.
17.
In 2022, Maria Martinez was included in a book on Women's Work, noting the change from feminine arts to feminist art, by Ferren Gipson.