John Gonzales was born at San Ildefonso Pueblo in 1955. When he was a child, his family was "relocated" to a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, so he lived away from the Pueblo for the first 8 years of his life.
John received his Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University in 1980 and a Masters in City Planning from M. I. T. in 1982, after which he worked in a series of administrative and management positions. He had no expectation or desire of ever working with clay. One day with the encouragement of his father, Lorenzo, a well-established potter, John immersed himself into the centuries old tradition of pottery making. It didn't take long for John to realize he had a gift for working with clay..
John asserts "San Ildefonso Pueblo pottery is universally accepted as the measure for high quality native clay art." "The excitement of creating modern art alongside such well known artists as Barbara Gonzales instills a responsibility of stewardship for this centuries old art form." John has worked to develop a unique style that is today readily identifiable as John Gonzales pottery.
John's artist career parallels his executive management pursuits. Currently, he is the Executive Director of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation located in northeast Washington state. He assures everyone that his pottery will always be made from native clays of San Ildefonso Pueblo.
Awards and Honors
In October 1998 John was honored with being inducted into the Stanford University American Indian Hall of Fame. HIs pottery was selected for the re-opening exhibit of the Iris and R. Gerald Cantor Center for the Visual Arts at Stanford University.
1994 Quail Run Fellowship, SWAIA, Santa Fe Indian Market
First place, sgraffito with stone or metal1994 Up and Coming Pottery Artist,
Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council Arts and Crafts Show
John has won numerous awards since 1994 at different art shows throughout the country. The Spring 1996 issue of Indian Artist magazine featured John as an emerging artist.
| Home |
For our overseas customers: A Javascript Personal Currency Assistant is available to assist you in converting prices.
Recommend this website to a friend!
 |
John Gonzales 915 Central Drive Coulee Dam, WA 99116 Phone: 509-633-9858 saninative@msn.com |
|
© 2008 John Gonzales
This page was last updated on Tuesday, 29-Apr-2008 15:23:51 EDT.