Mary Ellen Toya (1934–1990) was a
Jemez Pueblo
Jemez Pueblo (/ˈhɛmɛz/; tow, Walatowa, nv, Mąʼii Deeshgiizh) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,788 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statist ...
potter of the Water Clan. She was active ca. 1950–1990, and was known for creating some of the largest
Storyteller figures.
Family
Mary Toya was married to Casimiro Toya, Sr. Their children are Melinda Toya Fragua, Mary Ellen Toya (M. Ellen Toya), Judy Toya, Marie Roberta Toya, Yolanda Toya, Casimiro Toya, Jr., Etta Toya Gachupin, and Anita Toya.
She passed the pottery-making tradition onto her daughters.
Work
Toya worked with matte polychrome, red and black-on-tan Storytellers, jars, bowls, plates, and wedding vases. Her favorite designs were kiva steps, terrace clouds, and cloud tracers.
Exhibits
*Toya, Mary E. and Toya, Anita. ''Traditional pit-fired Storytellers''. April 1994. Bryans Gallery, Taos, New Mexico
Collections
*Toya, Mary E. Storyteller figure. Ceramic.
Spurlock Museum
The William R. and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum, better known as the Spurlock Museum, is an ethnographic museum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Spurlock Museum's permanent collection includes portions of collections from other ...
of World Cultures, Urbana, Illinois
See also
*
List of 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 ...
References
Further reading
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1934 births
1990 deaths
American women ceramists
American ceramists
20th-century ceramists
20th-century American women
Native American potters
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