Otellie Loloma facts for kids

Otellie Loloma (born December 30, 1921 – died January 30, 1993) was a very talented American artist. She was famous for her traditional Hopi pottery and dance. She also helped her husband, Charles Loloma, create beautiful jewelry designs.

Early Life and Learning

Otellie Pasiyava grew up on a Hopi reservation. This was in a place called Second Mesa, Arizona. She went to schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Otellie loved making things from clay when she was a child. When she was 23, she got a special chance. She received a scholarship to study pottery. This was at the School of the American Craftsman at Alfred University. She also studied at Northern Arizona University. Later, she attended the College of Santa Fe.

Her Amazing Career

In the 1950s, Otellie Loloma ran a shop. It was at the Kiva Craft Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. She ran it with her husband.

She was one of the first teachers for a special art program. This program was called the Southwest Indian Art Project. It happened in Tucson, Arizona in 1960 and 1961. The program helped Native American artists.

In 1962, Otellie joined the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). This school is in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She taught there until she retired in 1988. One of her famous students was the potter Robert Tenorio. In 1991, she received a big honor. She won the Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award. This award celebrates women artists.

Otellie was not only great at pottery. She also taught Native American dance. She worked with her friend and colleague, Josephine Myers-Wapp. They even performed with their students at the White House. They also performed at the 1968 Summer Olympics.

In 1970, Otellie was featured in a TV show. It was an ABC documentary called "With These Hands: The Rebirth of the American Craftsman." She was one of only two women artists in the show.

Family and Lasting Impact

Otellie Pasiyava married Charles Loloma in 1947. He was a famous Hopi jewelry designer. Their marriage ended in 1965. Otellie Loloma passed away in 1993. She was 71 years old.

You can see Otellie Loloma's art in many museums. Some of these include the Museum of the American Indian. Her work is also at the Heard Museum and the Philbrook Museum of Art.

Her nephew, Nathan Begaye, also became a potter. He learned from his aunt. Another one of her notable students was the painter Dan Namingha. Otellie's friend, James A. McGrath, wrote a book of poems about her. It was called The Sun is a Wandering Hunter.