Gerónima Cruz Montoya (Potsunu) (September 22, 1915 – January 2, 2015) was an

Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo Ohkay Owingeh ( Tewa: Ohkwee Ówîngeh ), known by its Spanish name as San Juan de los Caballeros from 1589 to 2005, is a pueblo and census-designated place (CDP) in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Ohkay Owingeh is also a federally recognized tribe ...

artist and educator from

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. She taught

Native American artists This is a list of visual artists who are Native Americans in the United States. The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 defines "Native American" as being enrolled in either federally recognized tribes or state recognized tribes or "an individual ...

at the Studio at the Santa Fe Indian School.

Early life and education

Her parents were Pablo Cruz and Crucita Trujillo, both of

Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico Ohkay Owingeh (Tewa: Ohkwee Ówîngeh ), known by its Spanish name as San Juan de los Caballeros from 1589 to 2005, is a pueblo and census-designated place (CDP) in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Ohkay Owingeh is also a federally recognized tribe ...

, where she was born. Her Pueblo name is "Potsunu", meaning "shell", and it is with this name that she signs her work. Her mother was a well-respected potter, and it was from her that Montoya learned the basics. She then studied at the

Santa Fe Indian School The Federal Government established the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS) in 1890 to educate Native American children from tribes throughout the Southwestern United States. The purpose of creating SFIS was an attempt to assimilate the Native American c ...

with

Dorothy Dunn Dorothy Dunn Kramer (December 2, 1903 – July 5, 1992) was an American art instructor who created The Studio School at the Santa Fe Indian School. Background Dunn was born on 2 December 1903 in Pottawatomie County, Kansas and educated in Chi ...

, from which she graduated as the valedictorian in her class in 1935, and at Claremont College.

Career

Montoya taught painting at the

from 1937 until 1961. While Dorothy Dunn was known for developing the Studio program at the Indian School, 1932–37, Montoya was the first Native American to teach painting there for over 24 years. One of the students at the School during her time there was Tonita Peña's son

Joe Herrera Joe Hilario Herrera (also known as See-Ru; born 1923–2001), was an American Pueblo painter, teacher, radio newscaster, politician, and a Pueblo activist; from a mixed Cochiti and San Ildefonso background. He was the son of the artist Tonita Pe� ...

Death and legacy

For her work as both teacher and painter, Montoya was awarded the 1994 Art and Cultural Achievement Award by the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

. In 1963 Montoya started an art education program at Ohkay Owingeh and in 1968 she founded the Oke'Oweege Artistic Cooperative there. Montoya died on January 2, 2015, at the age of 99.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montoya, Geronima Cruz 1915 births 2015 deaths 20th-century American painters American women painters Painters from New Mexico Pueblo artists People from Rio Arriba County, New Mexico 20th-century American women artists Native American women artists 20th-century Native American artists 21st-century Native American artists 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women

Early life and education

Career

Death and legacy

Further reading

References