Description
An Indian Pueblo Store exclusive! This unique café-style ceramic mug is a replica of a single beautiful clay pot handcrafted by skilled Zia artist Elizabeth Medina.
Medina is considered one of the most skilled potters still working in Zia today, and often collaborates with her husband to create pieces that combined traditional and contemporary elements.
This mug features traditional red and black Zia designs, including bird, floral, cloud, and rain patterns on a buff background, and is a great gift idea and a meaningful way to bring traditional Pueblo pottery designs into your everyday life.
The originals for series one through three are on display at Shumakolowa, located inside the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. All of the participating artists receive royalties for each mug sold, with proceeds also supporting the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico.
Collect all five designs, available exclusively at Indian Pueblo Store!
Details
- Collectible tall cafe style mug
- Original designs by artist Elizabeth Medina (Zia Pueblo)
- Cup measurements: 6"" H x 4-1/2 L x 3-1/4 W
- 16 oz
- Ceramic
- This Item is Not Dishwasher or Microwave safe
The mugs are designed by Pueblo artists from New Mexico, and printed in the USA on imported ceramics.
About the Artist
Elizabeth Medina is widely considered the most skilled potter working in Zia Pueblo today. Originally from Jemez, Medina has lived in Zia Pueblo since 1978 and learned the art of traditional pottery-making from her mother-in-law, Sofia Medina. Elizabeth Medina is known for making pottery in the traditional Zia style, and her pots feature incredible craftsmanship, elegance of form, and exquisitely painted designs. She has won awards from Santa Fe Indian Market, Eight Northern Pueblos Arts & Crafts Show, the New Mexico State Fair, and the Colorado Indian Market.
She also works with her husband, Marcellus Medina. The husband-and-wife team often collaborate to create exquisite handmade pottery. In their pottery collaborations, Elizabeth creates and forms the pots by hand from homemade clay, and Marcellus paints the unique, highly detailed designs onto each vessel. They are also known for creating the annual trophy for the New Mexico Gildan Bowl.
Collector's Guide
The most celebrated and recognized art form of the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico is pottery. Pueblo pottery is known around the world for its remarkable beauty and craftsmanship. It has been made in much the same way for over a thousand years, with every step of creation completed by hand.
Pueblo potters do not use a wheel, but construct pots using the traditional horizontal coil method, or freely forming the shape. After the pot is formed, the artist polishes the piece with a natural polishing stone, such as a river stone, then paints it with a vegetal, mineral, or commercial slip. Finally, the pot is fired in an outdoor fire or kiln using manure or wood as fuel.
Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Jemez, and Acoma Pueblos have distinctive pottery styles that are especially prized by collectors, but accomplished potters are working in all Pueblos.
Today, Pueblo pottery is an exciting and dynamic form, with many artists pairing traditional techniques with innovative and stylized designs. Those potters who continue to create pots using traditional methods possess an extraordinary level of skill, and their pots are highly valuable works of fine art that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Read our Native American Pottery Collector's Guide.