A monumental 50-year retrospective at King Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, turns its attention toward the incredible works of Camilio Tafoya (1902-1995) and his two children Joseph Lonewolf (1932-2014), and Grace Medicine Flower (born 1938). The three Santa Clara artists were each accomplished creators in their own right, Tafoya being one of the first male potters at Santa Clara Pueblo working with his wife Agapita Tafoya. It was in the late 1960s when Medicine Flower—one the first to begin creating sgraffito pottery at the Pueblo—moved back to the Pueblo to learn pottery from her father. In 1971, Lonewolf created his first miniature “pottery jewels,” and by the mid-1970s both Medicine Flower and Lonewolf were famous for their distinctive pottery.
Grace Medicine Flower (Santa Clara), Red fired vessels, 1980s.
“In the 1970s Joseph’s work really helped drive the market. He was absolutely explosive in the Indian art arena. The time was ripe for Native artists to shine as singular personalities. My dad and Aunt Grace...fit the bill perfectly,” says Rosemary Lonewolf, daughter of Joseph Lonewolf.
Camilio Tafoya (Santa Clara, 1902-1995), Black carved bowl, 1960s.
Joseph Lonewolf (Santa Clara, 1932-2014), Red and black bowl with Mimbres designs, 1970s.
“The pottery of Joseph Lonewolf and Grace Medicine Flower was transformative in the 1970s through the 1990s. Each piece broke perceived boundaries in style, design and form,” says King Galleries owner Charles King. “For Camilio, it was an evolution from carved to etched pottery designs, which could now tell the stories of Santa Clara Pueblo on their surfaces. The sgraffito or lightly etched designs were distinctive for Joseph Lonewolf, and there was a continual focus on great realism and detail unseen before in Native pottery. The later pottery by Grace Medicine Flower was not just polychrome, that is using various colors of clay, but carving various layers into the clay and creating the appearance of a ‘basket’ as part of the designs. For over 50 years their pottery and dynamic personalities transformed expectations of what could be created in clay.”
Joseph Lonewolf (Santa Clara, 1932-2014), Red and black jar, 1972.
Legacy: A 50-Year Retrospective of Joseph Lonewolf, Grace Medicine Flower, and Camilio Tafoya brings together more than 50 pieces in total, comprising pottery, paintings, bronzes and lithographs. The exhibition opens June 12.
King Galleries
Opens June 12, 2021
130 Lincoln Avenue, Suite D, Santa Fe, NM 87501
(480) 440-3912, www.kinggalleries.com
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