Mary Janice Ortiz, Cochiti Pueblo Potter

Mary Janice Ortiz (b. 1954) is a celebrated Cochiti Pueblo potter who has been working with clay since childhood. Raised in a renowned artistic lineage, she learned traditional pottery techniques by observing and working alongside her mother, Seferina Ortiz, and her grandmother, Laurencita Herrera. Her distinguished family legacy extends to her great-grandmother, Reyes T. Romero, and her brother, internationally acclaimed artist Virgil Ortiz.

Specializing in hand-coiled figurative pottery, storytellers, and traditional vessels, Janice has earned numerous awards at the prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market and the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. She signs her pottery "M. J. Ortiz" using her initial and middle name.

TAGS: Cochiti Pueblo, Seferina Ortiz, Inez Ortiz, Virgil Ortiz, Pottery Figurine, Joyce Ortiz