Big Bowl

NameBowl

Artist Brandon Adriano Ortiz

CultureTaos Pueblo

Date2022

Place madeTaos Pueblo, New Mexico, United States, North America

Mediummicacaeous clay

DimensionsOverall, Measured with darkened exterior facing front: 5 7/8 × 10 1/8 × 10 1/8 in. (14.9225 × 25.7176 × 25.7176 cm)

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, museum purchase with funds from JoAnn and Bob Balzer

Object numberA.2022.56.2

Collections

Folk Art of New Mexico

ProvenancePurchased directly from the artist via IFAM 2022

DescriptionLarge Micacaeous Clay Bowl, Tan With Black Fire Clouds.

Brandon Adriano Ortiz is both an architect and a traditional micaceous potter from Taos Pueblo. He gathers his clay locally and pit-fires his exceptionally thin-walled vessels. Ortiz describes both architecture and pottery as place-based practices that converge at Taos Pueblo, where earthen architecture embodies generations of cultural knowledge. In his essay “Ephemeral Narratives: Design Considerations for a Future Past,” he writes: “My body, my grandfather’s home [Taos Pueblo], and a micaceous clay bowl all contain the story of this place, of my family, and represent tangible embodiments of narrative… a relearning of place-inspired practice and a restoration of time.” Micaceous pottery has historically been practiced in New Mexico by both Native American and Hispano communities. A member of Taos Pueblo, Ortiz’s heritage reflects the complex interrelationships of northern New Mexico through his Puebloan and Spanish ancestry. As a contemporary practitioner, he brings a new generational perspective to the museum’s holdings of micaceous pottery, which have been primarily represented by Hispano examples. Ortiz was nominated by the School for Advanced Research to participate in IFAM as one of the U.S. artists and has exhibited at SWAIA Indian Market, the Heard Museum Indian Market, and the SAR/MIAC collaboration Grounded in Clay.