Juanita Suazo Dubray (born 1930) also known as Juanita DuBray, is a Native American potter from

Taos Pueblo Taos Pueblo (or Pueblo de Taos) is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos-speaking (Tiwa) Native American tribe of Puebloan people. It lies about north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico. The pueblos are considered to be one of the oldest c ...

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 is a lifelong resident of Taos Pueblo and descends from an unbroken line of Taos Pueblo natives. Her mother Tonita made traditional

mica Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into extremely thin elastic plates. This characteristic is described as perfect basal cleavage. Mica is ...

ceous pottery for utilitarian use. She became interested in the micaceous pottery tradition in 1980 after a career of working as a pharmaceutical technician. She started making micaceous pottery at the age of 50 with the encouragement of a neighbor who gave her some clay. When she first started making pottery she made one-of-a-kind micaceous pots using different ancient designs and symbols. Eventually she began using more contemporary designs and symbols on her pots, making them out of both micaceous and white clay. She added an element of sculpture, producing many pieces with icons of corn, turtles, lizards, and

kiva A kiva is a space used by Puebloans for rites and political meetings, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, "kiva" means a large room that is circular and underground, ...

steps in relief. Her original corn design has become her most recognized symbol. She also often includes traditional ornamentation of rope fillets, tool-impressed rims and loop handles on her pots. Juanita has also produced sculptured objects including nativity scenes and storyteller dolls. As a self-taught potter, Juanita has come a long way in mastering the skills of making traditional micaceous pottery, which are truly beautiful works of art. She has attended numerous shows and exhibitions including the

Santa Fe Indian Market The Santa Fe Indian Market is an annual art market held in Santa Fe, New Mexico on the weekend following the third Thursday in August. The event draws an estimated 150,000 people to the city from around the world. The Southwestern Association for ...

, Denver Indian Market, the

San Ildefonso San Ildefonso (), La Granja (), or La Granja de San Ildefonso, is a town and municipality in the Province of Segovia, in the Castile and León autonomous region of central Spain. It is located in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama mounta ...

and San Juan Pueblo Eight Northern Indian Markets among others. In 1988 she received first place in the San Ildefonso Eight Northern Indian Market. In 1994 she was designated a Master Potter by the

School of American Research The School for Advanced Research (SAR), until 2007 known as the School of American Research and founded in 1907 as the School for American Archaeology (SAA), is an advanced research center located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. Since 1967, the s ...

and was invited to attend the school's Micaceous Pottery Artists Convocation. She was one of ten master micaceous potters to attend. In June 2004 she also taught a workshop at the Taos Art School on making traditional Taos Pueblo micaceous pottery.

Collections

Dubray's work is in the collections of the

Millicent Rogers Museum The Millicent Rogers Museum is an art museum in Taos, New Mexico, founded in 1956 by the family of Millicent Rogers. Initially the artworks were from the multi-cultural collections of Millicent Rogers and her mother, Mary B. Rogers, who donated ...

, the Samuel Poliakoff Collection of Western Art at the Abbeville County Library System, Abbeville, SC, the Holmes Museum of Anthropology at the University of Wichita, and the University of Dayton Marian Library Crèche Collection.

References

External links

Juanita Suazo Dubray pottery at the Holmes Museum of Anthropology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dubray, Juanita Suazo 1930 births Living people Artists from New Mexico Native American potters American potters Taos Pueblo artists American women ceramists Native American women artists Women potters 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American women artists 21st-century American ceramists 20th-century American ceramists 20th-century Native American artists 21st-century Native American artists 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women

Collections

References

Further reading

External links