Pena, Juanita

Juanita Pena (1900-1987) was a potter from San Ildefonso Pueblo. She often collaborated with her husband, Tony (1898-1984), and they signed their pots “Tony y Juanita S.I.P.”.

Their black-on-black pottery began to appear in the marketplace in the 1930s. In the early 1940s they began carving their pieces. They were regular producers of black and red bowls and jars for years. Their favorite designs included the avanyu and feathers-in-a-row. They also made vases, pitchers and wedding vases. Then they were drawn more and more into kiva and religious activities that demanded their full-time participation. It was in the 1950s that they stopped making pottery.

Juanita was related to potters Martina Vigil Montoya and Florentino Montoya. Tony was related to Encarnacion Pena (Soqueen), a member of the San Ildefonso school of painters. They had at least four children but none became potters or carried on that legacy.