Cloud Society Praying for Peace on Earth, Water Jar

Sofia Medina was taught to make pottery by well-known Zia potter Trinidad Medina, the grandmother of her husband, Rafael. Painter Rafael Medina worked primarily in the flat style encouraged by the Santa Fe Indian School. However, in the 1970s, when he and Sofia began working together on pottery, Rafael’s figures became more naturalistic, as seen in the muscled dancers on this black clay jar. The decoration, painted in white slip, juxtaposes the fluid motions of ceremonial dancers with geometric patterns inspired by traditional Zia pottery.