I’m a little puzzled by the story of how Maria Poveka Martinez began her journey toward becoming one of the most celebrated 20th-century potters. The story starts with anthropologist Edgar Lee Hewett, who discovered shards of black-on-black pottery in New Mexico. Wanting to recreate it, he approached Maria, who was known within her pueblo, San Ildefonso, for the quality of her pottery. What confuses me? Members of the nearby Santa Clara Pueblo were still making black-on-black pottery. Why didn’t Hewett approach one of the Santa Clara potters?
According to some of the information I found on the Martinezes, Maria and her husband, Julian, supported Hewett’s excavation team. Perhaps Maria volunteered for the work, or maybe Hewett asked for assistance because he already knew her. Whatever the reason, Maria began experimenting with ways to create the pottery Hewett wanted. This included learning from the Tafoya family of Santa Clara Pueblo.
Within the Santa Clara Pueblo, designs are engraved on blackware pottery. Julian decided to try to find a way to paint Maria’s pots. After trying different techniques, he developed a way to apply a matte paint to a polished background.
Although they worked as a team, Maria is better known than her husband. Pottery was considered women’s work, so she didn’t add Julian’s name to signed pieces until 1925. She also continued making pottery long after his death in 1943. Following his death, she received help from other family members, including her daughter-in-law Santana Martinez and son Popovi Da. Her pottery carries several different signatures on it, depending on when the pot was made and who assisted her.
It didn’t take long for Maria to be recognized for her innovative work. During her lifetime, she was invited to the White House, awarded two honorary doctorates, and featured in an exhibit in the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery two years before her death. And because Maria and Julian shared their discoveries and knowledge with their pueblo, San Ildefonso has become well known for continuing the tradition of the beautiful blackware the Martinez family created.
You can find Maria’s work in the Millicent Rogers Museum (Taos, New Mexico), the National Museum of the American Indian and the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, D.C.), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, among other locations.