Naranjo, Teresita

Teresita Naranjo was born to Christina and Victor Naranjo of Santa Clara Pueblo in 1919. Her grandmother was Sara Fina Tafoya, one of her aunts was Margaret Tafoya. Teresita grew up learning the traditional way to make pottery from the relatives around her, some of the finest Pueblo potters on Earth.

She married Joe Naranjo at an early age and they had four children. When the oldest was 12 her husband died and after that, she raised her family on her own, supported solely by her ability to make a living as a potter.

Teresita truly enjoyed making pottery. She excelled in creating carved redware and blackware bowls, wedding vases, jars and miniatures. Her favorite design to carve was the avanyu (the Tewa water serpent). She passed her skills and techniques on to her daughter, Stella Chavarria, who passed that learning on to her children in turn.

Teresita participated in shows at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology in 1974, the Popovi Da Studio of Indian Arts Gallery in 1976, the One Space/Three Visions exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum in 1979, the Sid Duesch Gallery show in New York City in 1985 and the Harris Collection show at Blue Rain Gallery in Taos, New Mexico in 1998. The Heard Museum in Phoenix also has a collection of her works on display.

Teresita passed on in 1999.

Some Exhibits that Featured Work by Teresita

• Gifts from the Community. Heard Museum West. Surprise, Arizona. April 2008 – October 12, 2008
• Choices and Change: American Indian Artists in the Southwest. Heard Museum North. Scottsdale, AZ. 2007 June 2007 – June 2008
• Breaking the Surface: Carved Pottery Techniques and Designs. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. October 2004 – October 2005
• Hold Everything! Masterworks of Basketry and Pottery from the Heard Museum. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. November 1, 2001 – March 10, 2002
• Images, Artists, Styles: Recent Acquisitions from the Heard Museum Collection. Heard Museum North. Scottsdale, AZ. July 2001 – July 2002
• Lovena Ohl: An Eye for Art, a Heart for Artists. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. January 15, 2000 – August 15, 2000
• From Cairo to Carefree: Building the Heard Museum. Heard Museum North. Scottsdale, AZ. August 1997 – January 1998
• Recent Acquisitions from the Herman and Claire Bloom Collection. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. January 1997 – July 1997
• The Seven Families of Pueblo Pottery. Simply Santa Fe. Santa Fe, NM. August 16, 1990 – August 31, 1990
• 18th Anniversary Show. Pacific Western Traders. Folsom, CA. September 9, 1989 – November 12, 1989
• Art of the Southwest. Pacific Western Traders. Folsom, CA. October 11, 1986 – November 16, 1986
• Tenth Anniversary (1971-1981). Pacific Western Traders. Folsom, CA. October 1, 1981 – December 31, 1981