News Release

Pueblo Pottery Making Demonstration, Firing, and Sale

Date: September 5, 2019
Contact: Cristy Brown, 970-529-4608

At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 21, 2019, Mesa Verde National Park will host a pottery making demonstration by Santa Clara Pueblo-born Starr Tafoya, located at the park’s Visitor and Research Center. Starr will demonstrate how to mold clay into the desired shapes, explain the polishing and painting process, and finish by firing several pieces using traditional methods.  Afterwards, she will have a number of finished pieces available for sale. The demonstration, pottery firing, and sale, are part of the annual Four Corners Lecture Series. The Visitor and Research Center is located at the park entrance, just off US Highway 160.
 
Starr Tafoya was born and raised in Santa Clara Pueblo south of Espanola, New Mexico.  She is a retired elementary teacher; she taught for 22 years at Santa Clara Day School. Starr learned to make traditional Santa Clara red- and blackware pottery from her mother, Jane Baca. As a team, they specialized in animal and bird figures as well as various types of geometric pieces.  Although Jane passed away in 2011, Starr continues the tradition, along with assistance from her sisters, Velma and Kathy.
 
The Four Corners Lecture Series features presentations about the archaeology, current Native American cultures, history, and natural resources of this spectacular area. All programs are free and open to the public. 
 
The Four Corners Lecture Series is sponsored by ARAMARK Parks and Destinations; Edge of the Cedars; Friends of Cedar Mesa; Canyon Country Discovery Center; San Juan Basin and Hisatsinom Chapters of the Colorado Archaeological Society; Crow Canyon Archaeological Center; Cortez Public Library; KSJD Community Radio; National Park Service; Bureau of Land Management; Mesa Verde Museum Association; Fort Lewis College, Department of Anthropology and Center of Southwest Studies. For a list of other programs in the series, go to www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/4c_lectureseries.htm or visit us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/4CornersLectureSeries.

-NPS-