Meet American Indian potter Linda Lucero Fragua
Jemez Pueblo (pronounced “Hay-mess” or traditionally as “He-mish”) is one of 19 American Indian Pueblos in New Mexico. It is located in the north-central part of the state, an hour northwest of Albuquerque or a little over an hour southwest of Santa Fe. Over the last several decades, the Jemez people have begun something of a renaissance in pottery making. traditional and is now quite well known for its attractive ceramic works of art such as wedding bowls, pots and vases. However, they are perhaps best known for their ceramic storytellers depicting the traditional mother telling stories to a group of children at her feet. In Jemez Pueblo, during the long, cold winter months, when the land and people are at rest, awaiting the return of the sun, storytelling is common among Jemez families. The elders tell family and tribal stories thus ensuring the vitality of tribal customs and history. Jemez ceramic storytellers commemorate this tradition in a beautiful way.
One of the most famous Jémez pottery families is La Fragua, headed by Linda Lucero Fragua. Linda was born on November 28, 1954 and has lived in Jemez Pueblo her entire life. Linda Lucero Fragua, a member of the Jemez Corn Clan, learned pottery from her mother, Rebecca Lucero. Now, Linda is passing this beautiful tradition on to her husband, Phillip M. Fragua; his two daughters, Chrislyn and Amy Forge; and her son, Loren Wallowing Bull.
Linda Lucero Fragua creates all her pottery entirely by hand. She prayerfully extracts her clay from a secret area of Jemez Pueblo, which she hand-molds into ceramic figurines, air-dries and hand-paints, each with natural clay slips quarried from the Jemez land before cook them Each piece Linda creates is absolutely unique, a rarity in today’s mass-produced market. Through sheer talent, Linda Lucero Fragua is able to give the sweetest expressions to the faces of her clay figures, as she is a true master in bringing her pottery to life. Clearly, Linda’s skill has not gone unnoticed, as she won quite a few awards, including first place at the 1990 Dallas Indian Art Show, third at the 1998 Eight Northern Pueblo Indian Arts & Crafts Show, second at Storytellers in the 2000 Santa Fe Indian Market, 1st place at the 2007 Tesoro Cultural Center Indian Market & Powwow, and 1st place again at Tesoro in 2009.
Linda Lucero Fragua and other Jemez Pueblo potters create exceptional pottery year-round, but each holiday season they produce a rich variety of pottery with a special Christmas theme that includes nativity scenes, Christmas trees, angels, snowmen, ornaments and Santa Claus. Linda’s Christmas-themed items are truly unique festive Native American pieces of art, as somehow in her Christmas pieces, Linda is able to create faces that truly express the joy of the holiday season. With this effort alone, Linda Lucero Fragua returns much of that joy.
