Acoma Sky City Pueblo
Emma Lewis-Mitchell was born in 1931 into the Acoma
Sky City Pueblo. She is one of the daughters of the world renowned late,
Lucy M. Lewis.
Emma was around great pottery artists her whole life, however, her greatest
inspiration came down from her mother, Lucy.
Emma was a self taught artisan, she learned the ancient traditional
methods of working with clay by carefully observing Lucy construct her
beautiful pottery vessels. Emma chose to continue the long lived tradition
of working with pottery, and using the ancient methods passed down to
her from her grandmothers because of the importance to keep her peoples
traditions alive. Emma gathers her own natural pigments and clays from
the clay pits within the Acoma Pueblo. She cleans her clay for impurities
by hand, then, she hand mixes, hand coils, hand paints, and uses a traditional
firing method to add the finishing touch to her wonderful masterpieces
which mother earth has blessed her with.
The Lewis family keeps the same patterns and does not move to a contemporary
style because it is very important to them to keep alive true traditions
and designs of the ancient mimbres people alive. Some of these designs
which are replicated are the deer with a heartline, lightning bolt pattern,
and the many variations of the mimbres patterns. Lucy was the driving
force behind the revival of pottery making as an art in the Pueblo of
the Acoma.
Emma is also related to Dolores Lewis-Garcia, Carmel Lewis (sisters),
and Drew Lewis (brother).
Publications:
There are many books on Lucy M. Lewis and her daughters, information
on these fine artisans can be found in:
-Southern Pueblo Pottery 2,000 Artist Biographies
-Fourteen Families in pueblo pottery
-Southwestern pottery Anasazi to Zuni
-Talking with the Clay
-American Indian Pottery 2nd Edition
-Seven Families in Pueblo Pottery
Awards:
-Santa Fe Indian Market Various 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place numerous years
-Eight Northern 1st various years
-Heard Museum show
-New Mexico State Fair
-Others received too many to list
