InspirationEmergenceArtistryLegacy
 

Maria Martinez was a true master of her art. Together with her collaborators, she established many of the most striking and recognizable traditions of contemporary Pueblo pottery. She worked with her husband Julian until his death in 1943, then with her daughter-in-law Santana Roybal Martinez, and finally her son Popovi Da.

In the early part of the twentieth century, at the encouragement of Kenneth Chapman, Maria began signing her works. This led to the widespread recognition that each piece of Pueblo pottery was a unique work by an individual creator.

Maria's greatest contribution, beyond the styles and processes she pioneered, was that her masterful technique ultimately led to the acceptance of pottery-making as a form of art.

Museum of New Mexico