Our new show of oil paintings “Walking the Line: Contemporary Landscapes by Steve Elmore” opens Friday, June 16th, 2017. Check out the review in Santa Fean Magazine!
Author: alexjuan23
In Search of Nampeyo: Finalist in USA Best Book Awards
In addition to the IPPY Silver Medal for Non-Fiction in the Mountain West, “In Search Of Nampeyo: The Early Years 1875-1892” recently received recognition by the USA Best Book Awards as a finalist in two categories: Best Art Book and Best Interior Design. We are pleased with this acknowledgment by the publishing industry. For the award in design we would like to acknowledge the hard work of our designer Mark Diederichsen whose impeccable visual sense really brings Nampeyo’s work to life. Thanks very much to USA Book News for recognition in these categories.
As Reviewed in High Country News
February 2015
Nampeyo was the one of the first Native American artists to be recognized and honored by Euro-Americans. The elegant abstractions of this traditional Hopi potter brought her fame and launched an art movement in the late 19th century. But she rarely signed her work, and much of it was later lost. In his book, In Search of Nampeyo, Steve Elmore, a New Mexico-based artist and gallery owner, tracks what he believes is her work through museum storage rooms, private collections and even old, mail-order catalogues, where her pieces may have sold for as little as 50 cents.
What Elmore uncovers suggest an inventive potter, who may have created over 10,000 pieces and who patiently reworked intricate ideas until she was satisfied. Elmore reintroduces us to a distinctive artist whose work deserves rediscovery and celebration.
Video: A Visit To Nampeyo’s Home With Rachel Sahmie
Watch this mini-documentary about Steve’s journey to Nampeyo’s home at Sandhill Ranch with her great-great-granddaughter Rachel Sahmie. We explored the house and several old firing sites where Rachel made an unexpected discovery revealing that Nampeyo had in fact fired her pottery there. It was a piquant moment that we were fortunate to catch on camera.
We are happy to report that the video has been viewed hundreds of times so far, so we know many of you have seen it already. We would love your feedback. Please let us know what you think.