Pino, Juanita

“When I started working, my grandma sat me down and told me the story behind pottery, how it was created – the true meaning behind it. She gave me everything – some old purse with old tools, gourds, brushes, black stone…” – Lois Medina speaking of her grandmother, Juanita Pino. In the purse were tools that had been passed down through the women in the family for generations. Passing on the tools is tantamount to giving over the family name, portfolio of designs and reputation.

Juanita Toribio Pino (c.1900-1987) was the daughter of Rosalea Medina Toribio, sister of Maria Bridgett and mother of Sofia Medina.

Juanita learned to make pottery through watching and working with her mother as she grew up. Like most Zia Pueblo potters, Juanita preferred to make traditional polychrome jars and bowls. Her favorite designs to paint were rainbows, the Zia roadrunner, and the Zia symbols for clouds and rain.

Juanita was one of the award-earning potters who appeared at the Southwest Indian Fair (the event that soon became the Santa Fe Indian Market) in 1922. She earned the $3 Dougan Fund Prize. She participated often in Santa Fe, at the Gallup InterTribal Ceremonial and at the New Mexico State Fair, earning multiple ribbons at each.