ZUNI OLLA

Carlos Laate is a renowned Zuni Potter who lives and works in the Zuni Pueblo. As a young artist, he was inspired by his grandmother Daisy Hooey Nampeyo and his aunt Jennie Laate. All of his pottery is fired a century old family kiln in a remote canyon on the Zuni reservation. Laate’s pottery is made entirely by hand using natural clay and pigments. Carlos’ work is based on ancient pots and potsherds found in the Zuni pueblo ruins near his home. As Carlos has stated, “All the designs that are on my artwork are the prayers we use in our daily lives – to have a good life, to have a successful life, and asking for longevity.” His work is included in the collections of the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market (Phoenix, AZ), Charlotte Hall (Prescott, AZ), Northern Arizona Museum (Flagstaff), the Utah Natural History Museum, University of Kansas-Lawrence, and the Tucson Museum of Art.
The olla in our collection is a fine example of Carlos’s contemporary work. It was created in 2019 and acquired directly from the artist.  It displays Zuni deer and squash blossoms rendered in a range of native pigment earth tones.