Marty and Elvira Naha Nampeyo are
a husband and wife team who are quickly rising to the top of
their division.
Known for their development
of the incised redware (introduced by Elvira's father, Tom Polacca),
Marty and Elvira have nearly perfected the Kachina element captured
in each of their unique pieces.
Both Marty and Elvira come
from a long line of potters, and actually share distant relations
with Nampeyo. (Elvira being the great-granddaughter of Nampeyo)
Their heritage and involvement
with daily Hopi culture have given them an advantage. Their closeness
with the Hopi way of life is represented as each piece nearly
comes to life in the hands of an onlooker.
Having shown throughout the
Southwest, Marty and Elvira's pieces can be seen in various galleries
as well as publications dealing with elaborate Indian art. One
such collection resides within the Heard Museum, in Phoenix,
AZ. Also featured in the Museum of Indian Arts & Cultures,
Santa Fe, NM.
This duo has appeared in publications
such as Hopi-Tewa Potters by Gregory Schaaf, p. 101; and
Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery by Rick Dillingham,
pp. 14-15; and Art of the Hopi by Lois Essary Jacka, p.
110.
