Museum of Indian Arts and Culture | April 2021–March 2022 | Santa Fe, NM

A Place in Clay

Alongside the Native Treasures Art Market, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture annually selects a mid-career, Native American artist who is producing incredible work, and honors them with what is known as the Living Treasure exhibition. The 2020/2021 chosen artist or “Living Treasure” is the talented Kathleen Wall (Jemez), who is a Pueblo potter and mixed media artist who will also be exhibiting a new exhibition at MIAC titled A Place in Clay.

Kathleen Wall (Jemez). Photo courtesy of Penny Singer.

“I grew up as a traditional potter,” says Wall, “and [the exhibition] is an evolution of my work.
I didn’t stop as a Pueblo potter, but worked toward expressing myself in different mediums. This is about where the clay has taken me. Although I’m exploring different avenues and mediums, my place is always in clay.”

Pueblo pottery has been an essential part of Wall’s life, as many generations of family have passed down the practice. She even creates most of her clay figures using traditionally processed clay found at her home at Jemez Pueblo, just as her mother, grandmother and great grandmother did before her. “I find inspiration in many parts of my life,” says Wall, “but what fascinates me is my extended family and the culture they share with me.”

Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo), Gye wha la’ pah (The Place Where I Began), Figure: hand-processed Jemez Pueblo clay, acrylic and earth pigments, clay slip, underglazes

The exhibition will move between Wall’s clay sculptures to acrylic paintings, exploring deeper concepts involving tradition and family. “Wall is really known for one particular type of work, and that’s her Koshare figures,” says exhibition curator Lillia McEnaney. “These figures are loveable and light hearted, and provide an entry point into her work. More recently she’s been making figurative sculptures that are often placed in larger conceptual paintings. They explore topics ranging from language revitalization to food sovereignty and connection to place. It’s so interesting to have these more multi-media, installation-oriented pieces alongside the Koshare figures she’s more known for. This exhibition provides a look into the trajectory and scope of her work.”

Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo), Beautiful Child, hand-coiled with traditionally processed Jemez Pueblo clay, and painted with slip and underglaze, dressed with corn husks and leather. Photo courtesy of Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.

One incredible show piece titled Gye wha la’ pah (The Place Where I Began), part of her Place series, is based on a photograph found in a newspaper clipping of Wall’s auntie Edna Coriz, who grew up away from home in San Francisco. Wall placed a clay figure of her aunt in front of a topography of the neighborhood she’s named after. Wall used other family members to create additional pieces for the series, that are also placed in front of specific landscape structures from which they are named.

“It’s about land acknowledgment and how we’re very much from the land we come from,” Wall explains, “so much so, that we’re named after these places.”

Kathleen Wall (Jemez Pueblo), The Basket Maker, from the Makers series, hand-processed Jemez Pueblo clay, slip, underglazes, acrylic, wood panel, 22 x 26 x 4.” Photo courtesy of Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.

Wall was originally chosen as the Living Treasure in 2020, but due to last year’s closures, her award period has been extended through March 2022. From the beginning of April 2021, the exhibition will be in full display and will showcase nine of Wall’s pieces, pulled from different series and bodies of work, along with a few new pieces, giving viewers the full breadth of her career. “A lot of people know her work in the Native art scene,” says McEnaney, “but people don’t often see the span and scope of her artistic practice. By bringing her ‘project pieces’ into conversation with her Koshare figures, I hope people will see multiple sides of Kathleen Wall.”

MIAC will have a variety of Wall’s artwork on view, including pieces for the exhibition A Place in Clay as well as artwork for Native Treasures Art Market. For information visit www.indianartsandculture.org.

A Place in Clay
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
710 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505) 476-1269, www.indianartsandculture.org