Shana Garcia
Rustin
Acoma
Mimbres Memory
4 1/2"
H x 4 3/4" D
Shana Garcia-Rustin was born
in December of 1969 into the Acoma Pueblo, and is a member of
the Red Corn Clan family. She learned the ancient art of working
with clay from her parents in 1991.
They taught her all the fundamentals
of continuing the long lived ancient tradition of pottery making,
using the hand coiling methods her ancestors used before her.
She currently collaborates with Patrick Rustin, who was born
into the Apache Tribe from California in 1970, and together this
team makes some of the finest contemporary pottery created today.
Shana and Patrick specialize
in the thinnest of all hand coiled abstract pottery vessels.
They gather their raw clumps of clay and all natural vegetation
needed for constructing their art from within the Acoma Pueblo.
They break the clumps of clay into a fine powder form and mix
it with water and other natural pigments.
Once the clay is mixed, they
begin rolling it out into snake like coils and they begin building
the vessels. Once the vessels are created they are set out to
dry, and when they are dried they are hand sanded and, finally
hand painted with all natural slips applied with an authentic
yucca stem that was fashioned into a brush.
They are related to Elliott
& Beatrice Garcia (parents). They sign the pottery as S.
Garcia, Acoma N.M. or Garcia-Rustin.
Pat and Shana took ribbons
at the 1997 New Mexico State Fair, and again in 1998 and also
got Best of Show that year. Another recent award was also in
the New Mexico State Fair in 2000: a first place ribbon, Best
of Show award and a plaque for The Best Pottery. Their pottery
is destined for the finest pottery collections.
