St. Olaf College

Carolyn Concho


United States
b. b. 1961
View objects by this artist.

Carolyn Concho was born in 1961 on the Acoma reservation in New Mexico.  She was one of five talented sisters born to parents Katherine and Edward Lewis.  Concho grew up as a member of the Yellow Corn Clan and was surrounded by the incredible potters of the Acoma region.  Concho began producing her own works of ceramics in 1984.  

Concho centers the inspiration and designs for her pottery around the ancient Mimbres traditions.  She is known for her precise and elaborate detail.  Concho starts her creative process with an animal from the Mimbres designs.  Once she centers the animal on her piece, she fills in the rest of the pot with black detail.  Concho is best known for her seed pots as well her affinity for incorporating smaller three-dimensional elements onto the pots.  She will occasionally make the tail of a rabbit bushy or have the ear of another animal stick out.  

As well as remembering the prehistoric Mimbres people through her designs, Concho only uses natural materials to create her pottery.  She finds all of her materials right on the Acoma reservation.  She uses clay and minerals for the clay itself and finds plants for her pigments.  Because she does not use a wheel, Concho’s process is laborious yet rewarding.  She soaks her clay, hand coils her pots and then sands them down.  She finishes by firing her works in the kiln.  

Concho has been recognized numerous times for her beautiful precise work.  She has won awards at events such as the New Mexico State Fair, the Heard Museum Indian Art Show, the Gallup Intertribal Ceremony, the Eight Northern Pueblos Arts and Crafts Show, and finally the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market.  

Evelyn Wakeley ‘21
September 2020

Sources:
“Carolyn Concho, Artist.” Indian Pueblo Store,
https://www.indianpueblostore.com/pages/carolyn-concho

“Carolyn Concho.” Raven Makes Gallery,
https://www.ravenmakesgallery.com/pages/carolyn-concho