It's not hard to see a wisp of whimsy in the pottery that the Lewis family from Acoma creates. From finely painted pots and seed jars to wide-eyed storytellers and innovative bowls, you can see that each of the Lewis family members incorporates traditional designs and techniques with a healthy dose of fun.
Four of the five Lewis sisters -- Rebecca Lewis Lucario, Diane Lewis, Carolyn Lewis Concho and Marilyn Lewis Ray -- as well as their brother and sister-in-law, Bernard and Sharon Lewis, spent a day at the Heard Museum. While here, they spoke about their work to a group of Guild members who volunteer in the Museum Shop & Bookstore.
Although each of the family members has their own unique style, and each has won top prizes at festivals throughout the Southwest, their work shares subtle similarities that makes it undeniably a Lewis creation.
Marilyn Ray and the youngest sister, Judy Lewis, make wonderfully charming storyteller figures covered from head to toe with children and animals. Ray also makes decorated bowls complete with children and dogs hanging from the edges while tiny dogs, birds and other animals make tracks within the bowl.
The family is known for its use of natural clay and colorful paints including pink, orange, green, blue, brown and gray. The oldest sister, Rebecca Lucario, learned the art of pottery from her grandmother. Her finely painted seed jars, ollas and miniature pieces have won numerous awards for their artistry and detail. Diane Lewis and Carolyn Concho both make seed pots, often including images of animals and other traditional mimbres designs. Bernard and Sharon Lewis are best known for their seed jars and pots, which often have snakes peeking out.
Richard Pearce-Moses
Photograph Archivist
The Heard Museum
22 E Monte Vista
Phoenix 85004
If you have a VRML 2.0 compliant viewer/plugin installed with your browser, there are now available 3 VRML (Virtual Reality 3D models) models of pots made by the Lewis family. By selecting one of the choices in the list below, you may see these models and examine the pots.
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