Native Americans of the Southwest began making functional pottery at least 2,000 years ago. The skill needed to make these vessels passed from generation to generation, a tradition that continues to this day.  Geographic variations in clay, along with regional preferences for certain designs and shapes, meant that distinct styles became associated with permanent villages, which the Spanish called pueblos.  When the railroad brought visitors to the Southwest in the late 19th century, potters responded by selling their wares, and an ongoing market became established for pottery made as art.  For the first time, many makers began to sign their work, and individual potters became known and their works collected.  These artists drew inspiration from their ancestors and built upon their traditions.

Featuring pieces from the Crocker Art Museum's premier collection of Native American ceramics, Shields' talk focuses on legendary matriarchs such as Nampeyo, Maria Martinez, and Margaret Tafoya, as well as many of their adventuresome descendants and artistic progeny, whose art has become increasingly elaborate, detailed, personal, and political over time.  The collection of Native American ceramics at the Crocker is a signature component of the Museum's overall holdings in clay, which with more than 5,000 examples is one of the largest public collections in the United States, representing the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia.