Native Americans of the Southwest began making functional pottery at least 2,000 years ago. The skills 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, some 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.  

This new installation features approximately 200 ceramics and accompanying sculptures both in clay and other media. Matriarchs such as Nampeyo, Maria Martinez, and Margaret Tafoya, as well as many of their artistic progeny and adventuresome descendants, are represented. Most of the works on display came as gifts from The Paul E. and Barbara H. Weiss Collection of Pueblo Pottery or as purchases made for the Crocker by the late Loren G. Lipson, M.D.