Helen Cordero of New Mexico's Cochiti Pueblo is now regarded as a revolutionary.She Cordero really caused a revolution or renaissance in Pueblo ceramics. Her genius was that she took an exciting tradition, did something different with it. As a result the whole shape of Pueblo pottery has changed.
Cordero started the revolution in 1964, when instead of the traditional storytelling female figure, she modeled one after her grandfather, Santiago Quintana.The now familiar figure sits with open mouth, with several grandchildren perched on his knee, eagerly listening to his stories.The initial work was delivered to clients in Santa Fe, and Cordero’s next order was a Nativity scene with 250 miniature pieces including animals as well as people. This work won Best of Show in 1970 at the Heard Museum’s Annual Arts and Crafts show and was purchased by the institution for its permanent collection. That same year, her signature grandfather storyteller was featured on the cover of Sunset magazine, and the orders came pouring in.
Despite the fame and fortune that came her way, Cordero lived all her life at Cochiti Pueblo, following a traditional way of life. She continued to dig her own clay, prepare her own paints the black hue comes from the Rocky Mountain Bee Plant. Her husband and son drove 100 miles to bring back the fragrant cedar wood used to fire the storytellers on an iron grate behind their house.Today, Cordero’s revolutionary idea has taken on a life of its own.Ceramicists, most of them pale wannabes compared to the storyteller’s originator, have come up with every conceivable version. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the humble Cochiti potter is surely one of the most flattered artists of the past century.
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