Dolores Lewis Garcia
Lizard seed pot
Written by Casey Carpenter,
Docent and member of the African American Cultural Committee
Where is Acoma? Acoma, New Mexico, is 65 miles west of Albuquerque. According to oral history, Acoma was founded by the Sacred Twins who led their ancestors to Ako – a high mesa made of white rock. Today Acoma is also nicknamed Sky City because it’s so high up. It is said to be the nation’s oldest continuously inhabited pueblo in the US.
What is a seed pot? Traditionally, seed pots were designed to protect the seeds for next year’s planting safe from rodents and insects. A traditional bowl, jar or olla could not keep pests out. Seed pots were created with only a tiny hole that would allow one seed to be dropped in at a time. When spring planting time came the pots would be smashed so that all the seeds collected during the winter could be used.
Acoma pots are traditionally decorated with fine geometric patterns, frequently black on white or black, orange and white. When we talk about potters we are usually talking about a family line of potters who influence the artist. Dolores’ influence was her mother Lucy. During Obama’s tenure, a bookshelf in the Oval Office displayed a ceramic olla made by Lucy. Dolores said, “When Obama was in office we would watch the news all the time to see our Mom’s pottery on the shelf. I was proud of my Mom. It was like she was watching out for him, always looking over his shoulder.”
Dolores and her sister learned the earth-to-pot process while at their mother’s hip. Dolores grinds potsherds into her work to infuse it with a spiritual quality. Her sister said of the clay, “Everything is free, you just have to know where to find it.” They shovel, dig, sort and clean the clay by hand – no wheels or pugmills (like a cement mixer but for clay) are allowed. They create the paint from iron oxides and other minerals sourced from the New Mexico desert. For some of their pottery they do use a commercial kiln to achieve the clean white surface that many collectors want.
The Lewis family sticks to tradition. They keep the same patterns and do not move to contemporary styles because they want to keep tradition alive. As such, they are often critical of other artists who take shortcuts, such as using greenware. Despite their mastery of technique and even terroir (knowledge of the earth, crops, etc.), for the first time in 50 years, in 2017 they were not invited to participate in the Santa Fe Indian Market. Their work has been viewed as too traditional. Instead they are exhibiting at “We Are the Seeds.” I will be sure to visit the SF Railyard when I go to my next Market to see these traditional artists.
Dolores said, “You want to be a traditional artist, you have to stick with it. It’s just changing so fast. I’m trying to hold onto it for my grandchildren.”