SAN ANTONIO — At the 1975 Indian Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico, artist Jody Folwell made a significant impact with her inaugural ceramic work, Half a Step (1975), which marked a daring departure from traditional Pueblo styles. While the pot retained a conventional shape and a highly polished finish on its top and bottom, Folwell audaciously incorporated a sculpted, relief buffalo motif around its middle, challenging the established norms. Judges were left debating whether such an innovative piece could even be classified as Pueblo pottery, a convention that had not been disrupted in over 50 years.
Ultimately, innovation triumphed, and Folwell earned a prestigious Museum of New Mexico Foundation Purchase Award, signaling the launch of her pioneering career. Through her concept of taking a “half a step” away from her cultural roots, she created a path that allowed for rich expression and imaginative experimentation. The exhibition O’ Powa O’ Meng: The Art and Legacy of Jody Folwell at the McNay Art Museum showcases 26 works reflecting over five decades of her artistic evolution.
Folwell was brought into the world in 1942 in Kha’p’o Owingeh (Santa Clara Pueblo), a Tewa-speaking community nestled in northern New Mexico. There, she learned the intricate art of pottery from her mother and great-grandmother, utilizing these vessels not just for artistic expression but also for essential daily tasks like cooking and storing food, thus linking her art to her family’s livelihood.
In the Tewa culture, the role of a potter transcends mere craft; it holds deep significance. In a video screened at the exhibition, Folwell’s sister, scholar Tessie Naranjo, emphasizes that the Tewa language encompasses the same term for “earth” as they do for “us,” underlining the profound bond the Tewa people share with the Earth. Folwell confides in the film that as she gathers her materials, she prays to the Clay Mother, seeking insight during the creation of her art.
Although she has always retained a strong connection to her cultural roots, it wasn’t until the early 1970s that Folwell embarked on her ceramics journey with a determination to discover her unique voice. Scholar Bruce Bernstein notes in the exhibition catalog that at the onset, only four conventional designs were deemed acceptable for use on pottery from Kha’p’o Owingeh, compelling Pueblo and Indigenous artists to adhere to specific aesthetic and technical standards to ensure commercial viability.
Venturing beyond accepted norms was undoubtedly a risk, yet Folwell confidently charted her unique path. “Traditional pottery is so structured, it fits within a box,” she explains in the documentary. “To create something new, you have to break out of that box.”
Following the groundbreaking Half a Step, she continued to defy conventions at future Indian Markets with works like The Hero Pot (1984), which collaborated with a non-Pueblo artist and featured an unprecedented green hue, and Roober Stampede (1990), which included a motif of a running horse derived from a rubber stamp, among the first of its kind. Works such as Wild West Show (1996–2003) and You Don’t Push Bush (c. 2003) reflect Folwell’s critical lens on America’s complex history of imperialism and oppression against Indigenous populations and perceived foes.
Folwell’s pieces embody a creative philosophy that not only honors the legacy of Pueblo pottery but also engages in challenging contemporary social and political discourse, weaving connections across cultures, eras, and histories. Her approach reflects a profound historical continuity, employing techniques used by Pueblo peoples for thousands of years, while personally passing her artistry down to her daughters and granddaughter, whose ceramics are also part of the exhibition. The exhibition’s title in Tewa translates to “I came here, I got here, I’m still going,” aptly encapsulating Folwell’s inspiring life and artistic journey.
O’ Powa O’ Meng: The Art and Legacy of Jody Folwell remains on view at the McNay Art Museum (6000 North New Braunfels Avenue, San Antonio, Texas) until January 4, 2026. This exhibition was co-organized with the Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, with Lauren Thompson supervising the McNay presentation. Afterward, it will travel to the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe, running from February 6 to June 21, 2026.
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