Curran, Alvin

Alvin Curran was born in 1953 on the Yuma-Quechan Reservation in the Colorado River Valley, on the border of Arizona and California. At the age of one he went to live with his maternal grandparents at Ohkay Owingeh.

He grew up at Ohkay Owingeh, graduated from Espanola High School and studied law enforcement at Monterey Peninsula College. Then he returned to Ohkay Owingeh and worked on the police force, eventually serving as Chief of Police for four years.

Alvin met his wife, Dolores, at a jewelry class. They married in 1978 and she moved to his home at Ohkay Owingeh. They had 2 children together.

Alvin’s health began to suffer and when he decided it was time to leave the Police Department, his mother-in-law, Ursulita Naranjo, encouraged him to become a potter. She gave him clay and told him to make something. He made a few animal figures that she polished and fired for him.  She told him he had a great opening looking him in the face: there were only a few San Juan potters and none of them were men. Most were elderly women. Then he began to learn in earnest.

After years of work, Alvin developed his own version of the Potsuwi’i jar. Most Potsuwi’i design leaves a lot of open space between major elements but Alvin liked to fill in open areas with detailed decorations. Then he fired his pieces the traditional way, outdoors on the ground.

Alvin was a participant in the Santa Fe Indian Market in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997, earning awards every time.

Alvin said he liked to be working on 3 pots at the same time. He also liked to fire three pots at the same time. Alvin passed on in 2000.

Some of the Awards Alvin earned

• 1997 Santa Fe Indian Market. Classification II – pottery, Division C – traditional pottery, Category 1008 – plates: First Place
• 1996 Santa Fe Indian Market. Classification II – pottery, Division C – traditional pottery, Category 1008 – plates: Second Place
• 1994 Santa Fe Indian Market. Classification II – pottery, Division C – traditional pottery, Category 1001 – San Juan Style: First Place
• 1993 Santa Fe Indian Market. Classification II – pottery, Division C – traditional pottery, Best of Division;
  – Category 1001: First Place & Second Place
• 1992 Santa Fe Indian Market. Classification II – pottery, Division C – traditional pottery. Category 1001 – all forms: First Place & Second Place