Sandia, Geraldine

The daughter of Cecilia and Arthur Loretto, Geraldine Sandia was born into Jemez Pueblo in January 1950. Like her sisters Caroline and Mary, Geraldine learned to make pottery through watching and working with their mother as she grew up. After finishing her schooling, Geraldine married Wilbert Sandia and they had three daughters: Debbie, Natalie and Rachel.

Geraldine made traditional and non-traditional matte polychrome, matte brown-on-tanware, and stone polished black-and-cream-on-redware wedding vases, jars, bowls and vases. For several decades Geraldine’s pottery earned numerous ribbons at many venues, including the Santa Fe Indian Market, the Gallup InterTribal Ceremonial, the Heard Museum Guild Indian Art Fair & Market and the Eight Northern Pueblos Arts & Crafts Show.

Wilbert has passed on and sometimes Geraldine collaborates with Natalie now. For many years Wilbert and Natalie drove cross-country together, selling and delivering Geraldine’s pottery. Now Natalie makes the journeys on her own, and some of her pottery is in the car to be sold and delivered, too.