Dunlap, Carmelita

Carmelita Dunlap was born at San Ildefonso Pueblo in 1925. When she was very young, her mother, Juanita Vigil, passed away. She was raised by her aunts, Maria Martinez and Desideria Montoya. She would spend a few months with one, then a few months with the other. She said later on that’s how she learned how to make pottery: by watching and working with each of them over the years.

In the early 1950s Carmelita moved to California for a few years. She returned to San Ildefonso in 1955 and focused herself on becoming an excellent potter.

Carmelita generally made large black pieces that she decorated with matte black designs, but she also made polychrome pieces. She also experimented with various dark micaceous slips.

Some Exhibits that featured works by Carmelita

• Personal Journeys: American Indian Landscapes. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ.2016
• Drawn from Memory: James T. Bialac Collection of Native American Art. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. 1996
• The Seven Families of Pueblo Pottery. Simply Santa Fe. Santa Fe, NM. 1990
• Indian Art Show. Registry Resort. Scottsdale, AZ. 1978

Some Awards earned by Carmelita

• 1998 Santa Fe Indian Market. Class. II – Pottery, Div. D – Traditional pottery, Cat. 1107 – Miscellaneous, Honorable Mention
• 1992 Santa Fe Indian Market. Class II – Pottery, Div. D, Category 1202-Jars: Second Place
• 1989 Santa Fe Indian Market. Division E, traditional pottery, category 1202-Jars: Second Place