For a young potter, still
in his 30's, Franklin Peters has established himself as one of
Acoma's upcoming pottery masters. Expectedly so for he was taught
by two of Acoma's most accomplished potters, Florence and Rachel
Aragon. He was furter instructed by by his mother, Ella Peters
and then by several famous Acoma artists such as, Barbara and
Joseph Cerno, Dorothy Torivio, Fredrica Antonio and Wilfred Garcia.
Franklin Peters has emerged
as an incredible artist with great attention to detail. He has
stated that the "pottery itself is mother-earth.... designs
are about the world around us, which have meaning."
His work is characterized
by bold slips and colors, sharp lines and traditional Acoma and
Laguna designs.
Franklin accepted the honor
of the 2011 Rollin and Mary Ella King Native Artist Fellowship
at SAR. As an emerging artist, Franklin spent his time studying
the Indian Arts Research Center collections to better understand
the techniques and processes of his ancestors. One of his challenges
has been increasing the size of his ollas and to incorporate
more historical designs into his work. He is also interested
in exploring more contemporary designs and advancing his own
sense of style.
Franklin notes, I have already explored different Acoma
styles in my work over the past eighteen years, but look forward
to further developing my pottery by researching the sources of
Acoma pottery designs from the past.