Art Encounters | “Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery”
· Pueblo (Acoma), Vase, c. 1890-1900, clay, slip, and paints, Indian Arts Research Center, gift of Roberta Robey, 1961, IAF.2796. Photograph © Peter Gabriel Studio
· Work by Nancy Rios © Nancy Rios
Nancy Rios in the studio © Nancy Rios
January 10, 2025
Looking for a new art experience? Art Encounters programs, led by artists and inspired by works at the MFAH, focus on creating community. The way you participate is up to you: take an active role, or simply observe. Open to all ages. Supplies are provided.
This session of Art Encounters is led by artist Nancy Rios and is inspired by Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery and its rich tradition of symbolic storytelling. Participants explore self-expression and connect communally through the medium of clay. Air-dry clay is provided for a guided instruction through hand-building techniques that are used to create symbols and designs featured in the exhibition. These individual pieces are then mounted onto a large communal vessel, honoring the Pueblo tradition of shared cultural expression while showcasing the collective creativity of the community.
Plan Your Visit
- This program is free with Museum admission.
- This event takes place in the Arrival Hall on the lower level of the Kinder Building. The exhibition is located on the lower level of the Beck Building.
- Parking Information | Museum Hours | MFAH Campus Map
About the Artist
Nancy Rios is a first-generation Mexican American ceramic artist based in Houston. Her practice is centered on creating functional objects that explore the versatility of clay and blend traditional craftsmanship with symbolic references to her Mexican heritage. In addition to her studio practice, she is an instructor at Art League Houston and HTXClay.
All Learning and Interpretation programs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, receive generous support from H-E-B; Institute of Museum and Library Services; Sempra Foundation; the Brown Foundation, Inc.; the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; the Joe Barnhart Foundation; the Cockrell Family Fund; the CFP Foundation; Macey and Harry Reasoner; the Texas Commission on the Arts; and the Junior League of Houston, Inc.
Endowment funds are provided by the Louise Jarrett Moran Bequest; Caroline Wiess Law; Windgate Foundation; the William Randolph Hearst Foundation; Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Fondren Foundation; BMC Software, Inc.; the Wallace Foundation; the Neal Myers and Ken Black Children’s Art Fund; the Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation; Medha and Shashank Karve; Virginia and Ira Jackson; Jesse H. Jones II; the CFP Foundation; the Favrot Fund; gifts in memory of John Wynne; Neiman Marcus Youth Arts Education; gifts in memory of Peter Lotz; and gifts in honor of Beth Schneider.
“Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery” was curated by the Pueblo Pottery Collective and organized by the School for Advanced Research and the Vilcek Foundation.
Generous support is provided by:
Duncan W. Corbett
Michael W. Dale
Colleen and Andrew Gold
Franny Koelsch Jeffries and John Jeffries
Alice C. Simkins
The Margaret Cooke Skidmore Exhibition Endowment