Judy Lewis
Acoma
Corn Maiden
10" H
x 2 1/2" D
Judy Lewis is from the Pueblo
of Acoma and she was born in 1966. She has been making pottery
since 1986. Judy was inspired to continue the family tradition
of clay sculpting by observing many of her family members.
She was especially motivated
by the passion and ambition that her sister, Marilyn Ray-Lewis,
showed towards working with clay, and the assistance that she
gave to her.
Judy hand coils pottery, vases,
and storytellers using the methods of her ancestors. She only
uses natural pigments for clay and paints. Judy has developed
a style of her own. She hand pinches and hand coils a contemporary
shape with traditional designs and colors. As with the entire
family the colors have a crisp but soft pastel look to them.
In Native American art, a
storyteller refers to a ceramic figure adorned with smaller figures
of children. In Pueblo society, a storyteller is a real person
who communicates the legends of the culture and helps to keep
the oral history of the people.
The first pottery storyteller
figure was made by Helen Cordero (of Cochiti Pueblo) around 1964,
in honor of her grandfather, a great storyteller. The concept
soon spread to the other pueblos, each exhibiting their own distinctive
and delightful expressions of the intense love all Pueblo people
have for their children.
Female figures represent a
mother or grandmother singing or telling stories to children,
that "singing" represented by the open mouth.
Judy is related to the following
artists: Kathy Lewis (mother), Carolyn Concho Lewis (sister),
and Sharon Lewis (sister). Over the years Judy has won numerous
awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market and the Eight Northern Pueblos
Arts & Crafts Show. She signs her art work as Judy Lewis,
Acoma, N.M.
