Helen Shupla, Santa Clara Pueblo carved blackware bowl
Helen Shupla
1928-1985
Santa Clara Pueblo
Classification
Ceramic
Dimensions
3 x 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (7.6 x 11.4 x 11.4 cm.)
Accession Number
2021.35.30.246
Credit
Gift of Carol and Don Tallman
Biography
Born at Santa Clara Pueblo in 1928, Helen Baca Shupla married Kenneth Shupla, a Hopi katsina doll carver. The couple resided at Santa Clara Pueblo. Helen was proficient in firing redware and blackware, and she was renowned for her ability to create pots with a flawless polish. Her works are so esteemed that they grace the cover of Stephen Trimble's book on pueblo pottery, "Talking with the Clay: The Art of Pueblo Pottery."
Helen Shupla's legacy continues through her Hopi son-in-law, Alton Komalestewa, whom she taught pottery while he lived at Santa Clara. Komalestewa, the great-grandson of Hopi potter Nampeyo of Hano, carries on the tradition of crafting the melon jar design that he learned from his mother-in-law.
https://www.adobegallery.com/art/santa-clara-pueblo-polished-black-pottery-melon-jar-helen-shupla
Helen Shupla's legacy continues through her Hopi son-in-law, Alton Komalestewa, whom she taught pottery while he lived at Santa Clara. Komalestewa, the great-grandson of Hopi potter Nampeyo of Hano, carries on the tradition of crafting the melon jar design that he learned from his mother-in-law.
https://www.adobegallery.com/art/santa-clara-pueblo-polished-black-pottery-melon-jar-helen-shupla
Date of Bio
Inscription
Helen Shupla, Santa Clara Pueblo