WASHINGTON—The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) presents a spotlight exhibition offering a new look at Pueblo pottery from the American southwest. On view from May 8 through September 27, 2026, Burnished: Pueblo Pottery at NMWA features twenty-four vessels made between 1939 and 2025. It affirms the continuing impact of Pueblo women potters, as well as NMWA’s longstanding commitment to collecting and exhibiting their work.
Traditional works, such as bowls and seed jars with gleaming surfaces and pristinely sculpted motifs, are juxtaposed with new acquisitions, demonstrating continuity across generations. Among the highlights in the exhibition are elegantly shaped clay ollas, vessels historically used for water storage and gardening. When placed directly into the soil, ollas provide irrigation; they exemplify the deep connection between Pueblo pottery traditions and environmental understanding.
“Burnished honors Pueblo women potters and their multigenerational legacy,” said Orin Zahra, associate curator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. “Painstakingly hand-coiled clay, painted and carved motifs, and stone-firing techniques point to an enduring and living tradition of pottery-making. This exhibition affirms Pueblo pottery as a vital expression of women’s creativity across time.”
For more than two millennia, Pueblo potters living in the southwest region of North America have created clay jars and bowls for gathering, storage, gardening, farming, and ceremonial purposes. These works are not only functional objects but also carriers of cultural identity, community memory, and artistic sovereignty. Women makers are at the forefront of this work, often imparting their knowledge and practice to their female family members.
In 1998, the National Museum of Women in the Arts organized the first museum survey dedicated to women Pueblo potters. Burnished marks the first time that NMWA’s pottery collection is presented in a dedicated exhibition. In addition to sharing recent acquisitions, the presentation features longtime favorites, many donated by NMWA’s founders, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and Wallace F. Holladay. Reflecting the family’s commitment to supporting women artists, this exhibition also includes works from the collection of their son Hap Holladay, who carries on his parents’ advocacy for women makers in this dynamic art form.
The twenty-four clay vessels in this exhibition reflect the diverse traditions and material cultures across Pueblo communities. New acquisitions include a 2025 jar by Cochiti artist Lisa Holt (b. 1980) and Santo Domingo artist Harlan Reano (b. 1978)—this bulbous vessel with brightly colored acrylic paint blends traditional clay pottery with vibrant, contemporary designs. Ember Embrace (2025) by Santa Clara artist Stephanie Tafoya (b. 1991) features carved feathers, a reference to both Tafoya’s parrot and feathers’ role in Pueblo ceremonies and dances. Each of the 80 feathers is either stone-polished to a glossy shine or incised with matte-textured feather designs.
The potent vein of creativity defining the Pueblo pottery tradition extends to the present through many centuries, communities, and families. In addition to those mentioned above, featured artists include San Ildelfonso potters Maria Martinez (1887–1980), Adam Martinez (1904–2000), Julián Martinez (1879-1943), and Santana Roybal Martinez (1909–2002); Santa Clara artists Virginia Ebelacker (1925-2001), Margaret Tafoya (1904–2001), LuAnn Tafoya (b. 1938), and Nancy Youngblood (b. 1955); Acoma potters Grace Chino (1929-1994), Marie Zieu Chino (1907-1982), Shana Garcia-Rustin (b. 1969), Lucy M. Lewis (1898–1992), Emma Lewis-Mitchell (1931–2013), Rebecca Lucario (b. 1951), and Dorothy Torivio (1946–2011); and Hopi-Tewa artist Iris Youvella Nampeyo (1944–2018).
The show is part of a year of programs at NMWA that coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Burnished: Pueblo Pottery at NMWA runs concurrent to Ms. Americana, an installation of historical paintings by American women on view in the museum’s Great Hall; a selection of solo exhibitions by American artists throughout 2026; and Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California, opening in September 2026. The exhibition is also part of the museum’s multi-faceted participation in Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, an initiative of Craft in America.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) is the first museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women through the arts. With its collections, exhibitions, programs and online content, the museum inspires dynamic exchanges about art and ideas. NMWA advocates for better representation of women and nonbinary artists and serves as a vital center for thought Leadership, community engagement and social change. NMWA addresses the gender imbalance in the presentation of art by bringing to Light important women artists of the past while promoting great women artists working today. The collection highlights a wide range of works in a variety of mediums by artists including Rosa Bonheur, Louise Bourgeois, Lalla Essaydi, Lavinia Fontana, Frida Kahlo, Hung Liu, Zanele Muholi, Faith Ringgold, Niki de Saint Phalle and Amy Sherald.
NMWA is located at 1250 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. It is open Tues. to Sun., 10 am to 5 pm, and closed on Mondays and select holidays. Admission is $16 for adults, $13 for D.C. residents, visitors 65 and over, students and educators, active-duty military and veterans, and visitors with a Native / Tribal Affiliation; and free for visitors 21 and under, visitors with disabilities, and SNAP/EBT card holders. Admission is free the first Sunday and second Wednesday of each month.
For information, call 202-783-5000, visit nmwa.org, Broad Strokes blog, Facebook or Instagram.
Media Contact
National Museum of Women in the Arts
Katrina Weber Ashour, kweber@nmwa.org