A Rare Journey into the Revitalization of San Felipe Pottery

Limited to 26 people

Study Leader:  Ray “Duck” Garcia  

Pot, “Water Bearer”, by Ray Garcia

In 2012, SAR’s Indian Arts Research Center brought together seven potters from San Felipe Pueblo to discuss the past, present, and future of pottery making in their community. The potters met three times over the course of the year to grapple with various issues such as how to define pottery from San Felipe and what it means to be a potter from San Felipe. During their meetings, they also shared ideas, materials, and techniques related to creating pottery.

Virtually unknown to the general public, San Felipe pottery is distinct not in its designs or patterns, but because of a consistent trend of experimentation and innovation that cuts across many art forms at the pueblo. This special field trip with Ray “Duck” Garcia, one of the participating San Felipe potters, will provide SAR members with a rare opportunity to visit with the potters and to learn how the collaborations instigated by the SAR seminars have “opened doors” and provided opportunities for them to engage other pueblo members, including young children, in sustaining the pottery tradition.

San Felipe Pueblo is a Keres-speaking pueblo on the banks of the Rio Grande south of Santa Fe with a rich history predating European and Mexican contact. Long known for its agricultural traditions, its pottery is less well known among scholars and collectors. The pueblo has been quiet about its pottery traditions over the decades with the pottery of nearby pueblos drawing more attention. Yet San Felipe pottery is unique and beautiful.

Join us for a trip to this less-visited pueblo and learn about its pottery from several artists. We’ll have conversations and demonstrations in a pueblo home.  After we enjoy a pueblo meal, we’re invited by Ray to observe the outdoor pottery-firing process. This outing is a rare opportunity to go inside the pueblo and gain insight into its culture and evolving artistic traditions.

To register for this trip, click here.

Activity Level: Easy

Includes: Lunch (a pueblo meal), transportation, guide, entry fees, gratuities, and snack and water on the bus. Minimum of 20, maximum of 26