Jody Folwell (b. 1942) is a contemporary potter from Kha'p'o Owingeh (Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico) who is widely considered among the most significant and influential clay artists of her generation. O' Powa O' Meng ("I came here, I got here, I'm still going" in the artist's Tewa language) features 20 works by the artist that span the breadth of Folwell's groundbreaking career and demonstrate the arc of her artistic development. In addition, four works by Folwell's mother Rose Naranjo and her daughters Susan Folwell and Polly Rose Folwell, and granddaughter Kaa Folwell will be featured in the exhibition. Folwell has revolutionized contemporary Pueblo pottery-and Native art more broadly-by pushing the boundaries of form, content, and design. She is the first Pueblo artist to employ writing and designs as personal, political, and social narratives on her pottery.
The exhibition centers Folwell's practice and situates her within the intersecting artistic contexts of Kha'p'o Owingeh, Native American art, and contemporary and American art more broadly.
Among the works on display are T'ah p-ah sa' wae (Dad's Fish) (circa 2000), a jar that was inspired by childhood memories of the artist's father's love of fishing. In Wild West Show (1996–2003), Folwell painted the Western-comics style scene on a plain storage jar in response to events after 9/11. Her Wild West imagery speaks to American occupation of lands both
abroad and at home. Folwell replicated the style of prehistoric European cave paintings to convey the beginnings of art and humanity in Ancient (2018 or 2019).
A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition with essays and personal reflections by Folwell's longtime artistic peers, friends, and family members.
The exhibition is co-curated by Adriana Greci Green, Ph.D., Curator of Indigenous Arts of the Americas at The Fralin Museum of Art; Jill Ahlberg Yohe, Ph.D., Curator, Cafesjian Art Trust Museum, Shoreview, Minnesota; and Bruce Bernstein, Senior Scholar, School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The exhibition was organized by The Fralin Museum of Art and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. This exhibition and catalogue are made possible through support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Admission is always free.
Image: Jody Folwell, T'ah p-ah sa' wae (Dad's Fish), circa 2000. Clay, paint, 13 x 11 in. Collection of Jody Folwell, Santa Clara, N.M., Photo by Addison Doty. © Jody Folwell.
