Lois Medina, Zia Pueblo Potter

Zia Pueblo artist Lois Medina comes from a talented family of potters. Her mother, Sofia Medina, is certainly known by pottery collectors. Her grandmother was Juanita Toribio Pino and her great-grandmother was Rosalea Medina Toribio. Lois Medina (1959 - 2003) also has a brother, Marcellus Medina, who is also an accomplished potter.

"When Lois Medina began making pottery, her maternal grandmother, Juanita Toribio Pino, sat her down and shared their family traditions related to pottery: 'how it was created—the true meaning behind it.'  Grandmother Pino also gave Lois a bundle of 'tools, gourds, brushes, and black stone [for painting].'  Lois saves these objects respectfully, explaining that they are too precious to use."  Schaaf, 2002.

Reference: Southern Pueblo Pottery: 2,000 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf.

TAGS: Trinidad Medina, Zia Pueblo, Southwest Indian Pottery, Rafael Medina, Juanita Toribio Pino, Sofia Medina