Contemporary Hopi Pottery

Contemporary Hopi pottery is known for excellence in vessel shape, painting skill, and design creativity. Hopi pottery of all eras is known for its beautiful golden-red hue, due to the iron-rich clay found in the region Hopi Pueblo - 12 villages on top of three mesas in Arizona. The current Hopi pottery style was started by a First Mesa potter named Nampeyo (1859-1942), who recreated a yellow style pottery made by the prehistoric Sikyatki culture whose ruins were at First Mesa. Nampeyo and her husband Lesou recreated many of these early designs to the delight of collectors. Nampeyo shared her techniques with her children and other First Mesa potters, beginning a legacy that continues to this day.