Juanita Sauzo Dubray, Picuris Pueblo melon jar
Juanita Sauzo Dubray
1930-
Picuris/Taos Pueblo
Medium Specific
Micaceous clay
Classification
Ceramic
Dimensions
8 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (21.6 x 19.1 x 19.1 cm)
Accession Number
2016.35.30.101
Credit
Gift of John W. Brinley
Biography
Juanita Suazo Dubray is a potter from Taos Pueblo. She was born and raised on the Pueblo and is descended from an unbroken line of Taos Pueblos Natives. Later, Dubray attended an Albuquerque boarding school to study Art History, Native American Arts & History. In 1980, she became interested in traditional Native American Micaceous pottery making. She began making pots using traditional designs and symbols. These pots were designed as one-of-a-kind, with ancient symbols being used in different ways on each piece.
In recent years, Dubray has been making contemporary designs and symbols on traditional pots made of micaceous and white clays. Her signature patterns include the famous “Corn Designs”, “Lizard”, “Turtle” and “Kiva” (using cut-out steps with signature corn motif. The “Corn Designs” came to her in a dream in 1986, after her daughter Nanette died in a tragic motorcycle accident. The Corn symbolizes my daughter’s spirit and each Corn piece is infused with happiness, healing, love and beauty, which is passed on to those acquiring the pots. She also make “Storyteller Dolls” in micaceous clay. The figures include Mother and Father Storytellers and the Grandmother and Grandfather Storytellers. In 1991, I created a unique micaceous sculpture called “Circle of Love.”
Her work has been shown in the following museums, private collections and galleries: Institute of American Indian Art (Santa Fe, NM), Millicent Rogers Museum (Taos, NM); Heard Museum (Phoenix, AZ); Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (Albuquerque, NM); Lavonne and Charles Fisher (Minneapolis, MN); Rose Mary Medley (Dallas, TX); Nancy and Bob Andrews (Baldwin, NY); Museum of New Mexico (Santa Fe, NM) and many other collections.
In addition, she has been in many shows and exhibits, including: Denver Indian Market (1988); Santa Fe Indian Market (1988); Eight Northern Pueblos Indian Market (1988, 1989, and 1992); Smithsonian Institution, Renwick Gallery in Washington DC (1992-93); and Taos Invites (1993).
(https://chimayotrading.com/artists/juanita-suazo-dubray/, 2020)
In recent years, Dubray has been making contemporary designs and symbols on traditional pots made of micaceous and white clays. Her signature patterns include the famous “Corn Designs”, “Lizard”, “Turtle” and “Kiva” (using cut-out steps with signature corn motif. The “Corn Designs” came to her in a dream in 1986, after her daughter Nanette died in a tragic motorcycle accident. The Corn symbolizes my daughter’s spirit and each Corn piece is infused with happiness, healing, love and beauty, which is passed on to those acquiring the pots. She also make “Storyteller Dolls” in micaceous clay. The figures include Mother and Father Storytellers and the Grandmother and Grandfather Storytellers. In 1991, I created a unique micaceous sculpture called “Circle of Love.”
Her work has been shown in the following museums, private collections and galleries: Institute of American Indian Art (Santa Fe, NM), Millicent Rogers Museum (Taos, NM); Heard Museum (Phoenix, AZ); Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (Albuquerque, NM); Lavonne and Charles Fisher (Minneapolis, MN); Rose Mary Medley (Dallas, TX); Nancy and Bob Andrews (Baldwin, NY); Museum of New Mexico (Santa Fe, NM) and many other collections.
In addition, she has been in many shows and exhibits, including: Denver Indian Market (1988); Santa Fe Indian Market (1988); Eight Northern Pueblos Indian Market (1988, 1989, and 1992); Smithsonian Institution, Renwick Gallery in Washington DC (1992-93); and Taos Invites (1993).
(https://chimayotrading.com/artists/juanita-suazo-dubray/, 2020)
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J. Dubray
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