Pueblo Pottery Maine

How to make a Purchase

As a child, my whole world evolved around three distinct things: my teachers - those most influential being my father and grandfather; my pursuit of spiritual harmony - my religion and the natural elements; and my guides on this path - my brothers who have and will always be the animals and birds. To quote my grandfather, "....there really is no word for 'religion' in our culture. For us Indians, life is religion. We honor and respect all beings of the universe and give thanks to the Great Spirit for each breath we take at the dawn and dusk of each day for the Great Spirit loves us so much he put us each at the center of the universe. "

Over the past two decades, Roberta, my wife and partner, has assisted me with nearly every creation I have put forth. While I literally dream up the images I carve as I grind and sand each piece of stone, my wife prepares their final stages by cutting out and shaping intricate pieces of stone (turquoise, jet, shell, coral) for either inlay, beads, or rolled eyes to be set into each piece. Each piece I create is carved, sanded and cloth buffed by hand. Roberta adds the final touches to each piece adding a feather here and a stone bead there. For our unique corn maiden sculptures, she hand engraves beautiful blanket and headdress designs on each and every piece. Having won over 50 significant awards since 1981, we are both proud to have been included in the national publishing list of who's Who in American Indian Art of the 1980s and the 1990s.

-- Andy Abeita                         

SELECTED AWARDS:

• First Place, New Mexico State Fair - 1981, 1982
• First Place Gallup InterTribal Ceremonial - 1983
• First Place, New Mexico State Fair - 1985
• First Place, Red Earth Arts & Crafts Show Sculpture Division- 1988
• First Place / Best of Show, New Mexico State Fair - 1988
• First Place Gallup InterTribal Ceremonial - 1988
• First Place, Pasadena Indian Market Sculpture Division - 1989
• First Place, Arizona State Fair Fine Arts Division - 1989
• First Place, Red Earth Arts & Crafts Show Sculpture Division- 1991
• First Place, American Indian Arts Council Show, Dallas, Texas, 1992
• First Place, Best of Division Arizona State Fair Fine Arts Division - 1994
• First Place / Best of Division, American Indian Arts Council Show, Dallas, Texas - 1995
• First Place / Best of Show (3 time winner), New Mexico State Fair - 1997
• First Place, Santa Fe Indian Market Mixed Media - 1998
• First Place, New Mexico State Fair Indian Arts Sculpture Division - 1999
• First Place Santa Fe Indian Market - 1999
• First Place Red Rocks Arts & Crafts Show Jemez Pueblo Sculpture - 2000
• First Place Gallup InterTribal Ceremonial Sculpture Division- 2001
• First Place, American Indian Arts Council Show, Dallas, Texas - 2002
• First Place / Best of Show (4 time winner), New Mexico State Fair - 2002
• First Place Kachina Division, Red Rocks Arts & Crafts Show Jemez Pueblo - 2002

AVAILABILITY:

• Museums, individual collectors, corporations and a limited number of galleries on every continent in the world.
• Nearly 60% of their work is commissioned
• Approximately 30% is sold in the wholesale and retail market
• The remaining 10% is gifted to individuals, museums and tribal clanship groups

ACTIVITIES:

• Founder of the Council for Indigenous Arts and Culture (CIAC)
• Indigenous Arts & Culture consultant to the United Nations
• Indigenous Arts & Culture consultant to the United States Office of Indian Affairs