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About the Art

Plate

Maria and Julian Martinez, San Ildefonso Pueblo
About 1925

Maria and Julian began producing black pottery after an archaeologist asked them to recreate whole pots based on pieces of pottery that were found in the ruins of ancestral Pueblo homes. The couple experimented with various methods of firing the pottery and eventually achieved the black color by blocking oxygen from the pottery as it was fired. After discovering this technique, Maria and Julian continued to improve upon their pottery. Maria became extremely skilled at creating beautiful forms and achieving a smooth, glossy surface.

About the Art

Jar

Hubert Candelario, United States
1997

After learning the basic techniques used to create a piece of pottery, Candelario used his experience in structure and design to move beyond the boundaries of traditional pottery. When speaking about a similar “Holey Pot” Candelario said, “I have always loved structure and design, fields that I originally studied at school. While making this pot, I thought about ways to incorporate structural principles into the design. I began cutting away holes in a traditional pot to see how far I could push the limits of structure. It was a technical challenge that succeeded.”

Lesson Plan

Designing Clay

Elementary (grades K-5)

Students will discuss the process and design of the Plate by Maria and Julian Martinez. Then they will create their own design as either a plan on paper or on a clay tile.

Lesson Plan

Personal Narratives Influenced by the Past

Secondary (grades 6-12)

Students will discuss the historical and cultural influences found in Plate by Maria and Julian Martinez. Then they will reflect on historical and/or familial influences in their own lives and create a personal narrative describing those influences.

Lesson Plan

Leaving a Legacy

Elementary (grades K-5)

Students will examine the artistic characteristics of the Plate, learn about the legacy of Maria and Julian Martinez and the significance of their lives to American history, and write a short essay about another historical figure and the significance of his or her life.

Painting of a corn dance ritual featuring dancers and a crowd watching
Event

Art and Ambition: Creative Partnerships in the American West

The 18th Annual Petrie Institute of Western American Art Symposium
January 26, 2024 - 10 am–5:30 pm, doors open at 9 am
The Petrie Institute of Western American Art's (PIWAA) annual symposium will explore how artists are influnced by the places, politics, and people around them.
Lesson Plan

From Generation to Generation

Elementary (grades K-5)

Students will learn the significance of the pottery created by Maria and Julian Martinez and discover how pottery-making skills were passed down through their family and members of the San Ildefonso Pueblo community. Students will interview a family or community member about a skill that they have taught to others and write or illustrate a letter explaining how to perform this skill.

Painting of the Virgin Mary embroidering fabric with Saints Anne and Joaquim
Event

Materiality: Making Spanish America

2018 Mayer Center for Ancient and Latin American Art Symposium
November 1–2, 2018

Organized by Jorge Rivas. Sponsored by the Mayer Center.

During the early modern period in Spanish America, artists and craftspeople experimented with a variety of local natural resources and imported materials—pigments, fibers, feathers, shell, stone, wood, clay, silver, gold—which resulted in a new and unique visual culture. This symposium will bring together an international group of scholars to explore topics central to the formation and evolution of materiality in the Spanish Americas.