Currently on view at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas, is a comprehensive survey of work by Santa Clara Pueblo potter Jody Folwell, who lives in Kha’p’o Owingeh, one of six Tewa-speaking villages in northern New Mexico. This stellar exhibition, titled O’ Powa O’ Meng, features more than 25 of Folwell’s works, spanning more than five decades, offering a robust overview of the artist’s career. The title loosely translates to “I came here, I got here, I’m still going” in the artist’s Tewa language.
Jody Folwell (Santa Clara Pueblo), T’ah p-ah sa’ wae (Dad’s Fish), ca. 2000, clay and paint 13 x 11 in. Collection of Jody Folwell, Santa Clara, NM Photo by Addison Doty. © Jody Folwell.
“Jody Folwell is a daring artist who continues to inspire the next generation,” says Matthew McLendon, the McNay’s director and CEO. “O’ Powa O’ Meng celebrates both Folwell’s legacy and demonstrates the arc of her artistic development. The McNay looks forward to sharing her groundbreaking pottery with the San Antonio community.”
The museum notes that Folwell is the first pueblo artist to place personal, political and social narratives on her pottery. She pushed the boundaries of acceptable pottery styles by incorporating changes that sustain and strengthen the traditional foundation of design, blending old and new. She popularized the trend of using writing and imagery as tools for political commentary and social justice advocacy, opening the doors for other artists throughout the Pueblo pottery world.
Jody Folwell (Santa Clara Pueblo), Wild West Show, 1996-2003, clay and paint, 217/16 x 141/16 in. Courtesy of the School of Advanced Research, cat. no. SAR.2004-16-1. Photo by Addison Doty. © Jody Folwell.
Jody Folwell (Santa Clara Pueblo), Ancient, 2018 or 2019, clay and paint, 11 x 11 in. Collection of Susan Ratzkin, Thousand Oaks, CA. Photo by Addison Doty. © Jody Folwell.
Exhibition visitors will find some of Folwell’s most famous works, marking major milestones throughout her career. “The artist credits her pioneering legacy to a series of ‘half steps,’ where she would create works based on ancestral forms and then differentiate herself through added or altered design elements,” says McLendon.
Attend the exhibition through January 4, 2026, and experience pottery vessels like Ancient, depicting painted horses; T’ah p-ah sa’ wae (Dad’s Fish), showing a painted, colorful display of fish; and Wild West Show, portraying a bucking horse with cowboy, along with Folwell’s classic bold text. —
Through January 4, 2026
O’ Powa O’ Meng: The Art and Legacy of Jody Folwell
McNay Art Museum
6000 N. New Braunfels Avenue
San Antonio, TX 78209
(210) 824-5368
www.mcnayart.org
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