Storytellers and Figurative Works from Cochiti Pueblo

Cochiti Pueblo artists have been creating incredible pottery for centuries, with subjects and stylistic choices evolving over time. From the late 1800s to the early 1920s, Cochiti artists produced what are known as Monos figures. These pottery figurines depicted the non-native traders, priests, cowboys, performers and tourists who were, at the time, becoming increasingly present in Pueblo artists' lives. The creation of Monos figures was a form of social commentary. Museum directors Kenneth Chapman and Edgar Lee Hewitt condemned the figures, refused to exhibit them at museums, and excluded them from the inaugural Santa Fe Indian Market in 1922. Shortly thereafter, production ceased.

In 1964, artist Helen Cordero began creating Storytellers, which would eventually become the most widely collected style of pueblo pottery figurine. These seated Native figures with open mouths and children clinging to their bodies paid tribute to her pueblo's rich history of oral tradition. Adobe Gallery's exhibit includes major works by Cordero, her contemporaries, and many who followed in their footsteps. This group includes Virgil Ortiz, who in the 1990s began a revival of the Monos figure style.

This exhibit opens on Wednesday, August 17, 2022, and continues through September 16th.

The gallery is open "by appointment only". To view in person, call the gallery to schedule a time: 505.955.0550