Lewis, Dolores

Born into Acoma Pueblo around 1938, Dolores Lewis was one of the daughters of Lucy M. Lewis and Toribio Lewis. She said she was never taught to make pottery, she learned how to do it herself by watching her mother do it. Following the advice of Kenneth Chapman of the Museum of New Mexico, Dolores was one of the first Acoma potters to incorporate Mimbres Revival designs in her work.

Dolores started producing pottery around 1953 and still puts her hands in the clay, just not as much as she used to. Over the course of her career she made mostly black-on-white and traditional polychrome jars, wedding vases, bowls, canteens, mugs and miniatures. Her favorite designs included the deer-with-heart-line, rain birds, parrots, clouds, lightning bolts and rain. She even dabbled in making jewelry.

Dolores was a participant in the Santa Fe Indian Market for more than 30 years, earning multiple ribbons for her work. She was featured in the 1974 Seven Families in Pueblo Pottery exhibit at the Maxwell Museum in Albuquerque and in the 1979 One Space: Three Visions exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum. Dolores was also featured in the 1997 The Legacy of Generations exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC.