IN THE KNOW: American Southwest Pottery Exhibit in Washington DC

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.