Nathan Youngblood
Encyclopedia
Nathan Youngblood is a Native American
potter from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico
, United States
.
to Mela (1931–1991) and Walt Youngblood. During his adolescent years Nathan’s family traveled extensively due to his father’s military career. When his family eventually returned to Santa Clara Pueblo, Nathan learned to make pottery by watching his grandmother "the matriarch of Santa Clara potters," Margaret Tafoya
. Margaret taught him to make and burnish the pots, telling him to "take a little time especially with the polishing and you will be rewarded." His grandfather Alcario Tafoya taught him designs and carving. His mother Mela was a successful potter, who, with Helen Shupla, introduced the melon-shaped pot in Southwestern art.
Nathan has become a highly respected potter known for his creative designs and the exceptional quality of his work. Since 1976, he has won over 44 awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market
, often winning 1st and 2nd place. In 1987 he received the Jack Hoover Memorial Award for excellence in Santa Clara pueblo pottery at Santa Fe Indian Market.
Beginning in 1974, Nathan’s work has been exhibited at many gallery shows in Scottsdale, Arizona
and Santa Fe, New Mexico
. He participated in the Sid Deusch Gallery show in New York City
in 1985. His work has been exhibited at the White House
and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
in Washington, D.C.
, the Heard Museum
in Phoenix, Arizona
, the Gilcrease Museum
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
in Denver, Colorado
.
Nathan has contributed much of his time to public services. He has served on the boards for the Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial and the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. Until recently he served on the Board of Directors for the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe. He has given lectures at various locations including the National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. and the Denver Museum of Natural History.
Nathan continues to make exceptional pottery as does his sister, Nancy Youngblood (born 1955). Nancy has won 294 awards for traditional pottery.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
potter from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Background
He was born in Fort Carson, ColoradoFort Carson, Colorado
Fort Carson is a United States Army installation located near Colorado Springs, primarily in El Paso County, Colorado. It is north of Pueblo, Colorado in Pueblo County. The 137,000 acre installation extends south into Pueblo and Fremont counties...
to Mela (1931–1991) and Walt Youngblood. During his adolescent years Nathan’s family traveled extensively due to his father’s military career. When his family eventually returned to Santa Clara Pueblo, Nathan learned to make pottery by watching his grandmother "the matriarch of Santa Clara potters," Margaret Tafoya
Margaret Tafoya
Maria Margarita "Margaret" Tafoya was the matriarch of Santa Clara Pueblo potters. Margaret learned the art of making pottery from her parents Sara Fina Guiterrez Tafoya and Jose Geronimo Tafoya...
. Margaret taught him to make and burnish the pots, telling him to "take a little time especially with the polishing and you will be rewarded." His grandfather Alcario Tafoya taught him designs and carving. His mother Mela was a successful potter, who, with Helen Shupla, introduced the melon-shaped pot in Southwestern art.
Artwork
Nathan has been making pottery since 1972. He creates black, red and tan traditional hand-coiled pottery in the form of jars, vases, bowls and canteens. He also makes carved and painted plates. His pots are generally large measuring above ten inches in diameter. Using traditional techniques Nathan often incorporates non-Tewa designs such as abstract shapes into his pieces. During the firing process Nathan uses the same traditional method as his grandmother. Each pot is fired individually so as not to risk destroying all of the pots at once should something happen during the firing process.Nathan has become a highly respected potter known for his creative designs and the exceptional quality of his work. Since 1976, he has won over 44 awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market
Santa Fe Indian Market
Santa Fe Indian Market is an annual art market held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA over two days on the weekend after the third Thursday in August and draws an estimated 100,000 people to the city from around the world. The Market was first held in 1922 as the Indian Fair and was sponsored by the...
, often winning 1st and 2nd place. In 1987 he received the Jack Hoover Memorial Award for excellence in Santa Clara pueblo pottery at Santa Fe Indian Market.
Beginning in 1974, Nathan’s work has been exhibited at many gallery shows in Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
and Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
. He participated in the Sid Deusch Gallery show in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1985. His work has been exhibited at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art.Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the Heard Museum
Heard Museum
The Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, the Gilcrease Museum
Gilcrease Museum
Gilcrease Museum is a museum located northwest of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. The museum now houses the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of art of the American West as well as a growing collection of art and artifacts from Central and South America...
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal natural history and science museum in Denver, Colorado. It is a resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region. A variety of exhibitions, programs, and activities help museum visitors learn about the natural history of...
in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
Nathan has contributed much of his time to public services. He has served on the boards for the Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial and the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. Until recently he served on the Board of Directors for the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe. He has given lectures at various locations including the National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. and the Denver Museum of Natural History.
Nathan continues to make exceptional pottery as does his sister, Nancy Youngblood (born 1955). Nancy has won 294 awards for traditional pottery.
Reference
- Folwell, Jody, Diza Sauers, Terrol Dew JohnsonTerrol Dew JohnsonTerrol Dew Johnson is a contemporary Tohono O'odham basketweaver and health advocate, promoting traditional foods to prevent diabetes.-Background:...
, Tristan Reader, Ann E. Marshall, and Diana F. Pardue. Hold Everything: Masterworks of Basketry and Pottery from the Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ: Heard Museum, 2001. ISN 0-934351-64-2.
Further reading
- Allan Hayes and John Blom. outhwestern Pottery: Anasazi to Zuni. 1996.
- Dillingham, Rick, Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery. 1994.
- Schaaf, Gregory. Pueblo Indian Pottery: 750 Artist Biographies. 2000.
- Trimble, Stephen. Talking with the Clay: The Art of Pueblo Pottery. 1987.