Namingha, Les

Les Namingha was born in 1967 at Zuni Pueblo. His mother, Irene Vicenti, was Zuni and his father, Emerson Namingha, Jr. was Hopi-Tewa. His paternal grandmother was Rachel Namingha Nampeyo. Les learned early in life how to blend traditions and influences.

At the age of eleven he went to live with a host family in Salt Lake City, UT, during the school year and spent the summers at his mother’s home on Zuni. That continued until he finished high school in 1985. From high school he went to Brigham Young University and earned his BFA in Design in 1992.

While in college, Les spent summers at his aunt’s home (Dextra Quotskuyva) at Hopi, learning the basic methods and cultural traditions of making Hopi pottery from her. What he learned in the academic setting combined with what he learned from Dextra has helped him to develop his own potting style with its unique blend of Hopi and Zuni shapes and designs.

Les began participating in Santa Fe Indian Market as a potter in 1992, earning Best of Division ribbons in both traditional and non-traditional pottery and a Best of Class award in pottery in 1997.

Though he’s highly accomplished in traditional Hopi ceramics, Les continues to challenge himself in new directions of thought and expression. He plays at the intersection of traditional and contemporary in all his shapes and designs. With his pottery, this blend is manifest in the Hopi-Tewa and Zuni motifs and patterns that he renders in the prehistoric way through his contemporary eye.

Les signs his work: “LES NAMiNGHA” and sometimes adds the year.

Some Exhibits that featured pieces by Les

  • Place, Nations, Generations, Beings: 200 Years of Indigenous North American Art. Yale University Art Gallery. New Haven, Connecticut. November 1, 2019 – June 21, 2020
  • What’s New in New: Selections from the Carol Warren Collection. Lloyd Kiva New Gallery, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Santa Fe, New Mexico. June 3, 2018 – February 26, 2019. Note: exhibiting works include art by artists Tony Abeyta, Autumn Borts-Medlock, Preston Duwyenie, Tammy Garcia, Dan Namingha, Les Namingha, Jody Naranjo, Roxanne Swentzell, and Tito Naranjo
  • Catch 22: Paradox on Paper. Ralph T. Coe Foundation for the Arts. Santa Fe, New Mexico. August 12, 2017 – March 31, 2018. Note: group show curated by Nina Sanders and based on the Edward J. Guarino Collection
  • Les Namingha: New Painting. Blue Rain Gallery, Railyard Arts District. Santa Fe, New Mexico. August 17, 2016 – August 21, 2016
  • Unrivaled: Clay. King Galleries & Virgil Ortiz. Santa Fe, New Mexico. August 19, 2016
  • Elegance from Earth: Hopi Pottery. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. March 24, 2012 – April 6, 2014
  • Choices and Change: American Indian Artists in the Southwest. Heard Museum North. Scottsdale, AZ. 2007
  • Our Stories: American Indian Art and Culture in Arizona. Heard Museum West. Surprise, AZ. 2006
  • The Collecting Passions of Dennis and Janis Lyon. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. May 2004 – September 2004
  • Every Picture Tells a Story. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. 2002
  • Indian Market: New Directions in Southwestern Native American Pottery. Peabody Essex Museum. Salem, MA. November 16, 2001 – March 17, 2002
  • Hold Everything! Masterworks of Basketry and Pottery from the Heard Museum. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. November 1, 2001 – March 10, 2002
  • Blue Rain Gallery 2000. Blue Rain Gallery. Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA. March 24, 2000 – March 26, 2000
  • Blue Rain Gallery. Ellipse Arts Center, Arlington, VA. March 26, 1999 – March 28, 1999
  • 14th Annual Phoenix Indian Center Bola Tie Dinner and Awards Banquet. Phoenix Indian Center. Phoenix, AZ. Collectors Choice Artist. April 4, 1997 – April 6, 1997
  • Succeeding Generations. Faust Gallery. Scottsdale, AZ. 1997

Some Awards Les has earned

  • 2013 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, classification II – Pottery, Div F – Non-traditional Design or Form with Non-Native Materials: First Place
  • 1999 Santa Fe Indian Market. Santa Fe, NM. Class. II – Pottery, Div H – Non-traditional pottery, Best of Division;
    – Cat. 1504 – Jars and vases, First Place, Second Place
  • 1998 Santa Fe Indian Market, Classification II – Pottery, Division E – Traditional Pottery Jars, Category 1207 – Jars, Zuni: First Place
  • 1998 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market: Judges Choice Award
  • 1997 Santa Fe Indian Market. Santa Fe, NM. Challenge Award in Non-traditional painting, drawing and graphics.
    Class. II – Pottery, Best of Classification;
    – Div. E – Traditional pottery, jars, painted designs on matte or semi-matte surface, Best of Division
    – Cat. 1207, First Place
  • 1997 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. Class. VII – Pottery, Div. A – Traditional native clay/hand-built/painted, Honorable Mention
  • 1994 Santa Fe Indian Market. Santa Fe, NM. Class. II – Pottery, Div. F – Traditional pottery, painted designs on matte or semi-matte surface jars, Cat. 1301 – Jars, Hopi (up to 9″ tall), Second Place;
    – Div. G – Traditional pottery, painted designs on matte or semi-matte surface – all forms except jars, Cat. 1404 – Other bowl forms (over 9″ in diameter), First Place
  • 1993 Santa Fe Indian Market. Santa Fe, NM. Class. II – Pottery, Div. G – Traditional pottery, painted designs on matte or semi-matte surface, Cat. 1403 – Other bowl forms up to 9″ in diameter, Second Place
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