Helen Cordero Figurines

Helen Cordero, who passed away on July 24, 1994, was truly an original artist from Cochiti Pueblo. Unable to fashion pottery vessels in a manner with which she could be satisfied, she changed her course to make figurative pottery rather than give up altogether. Little did she know that she was starting a new convention and innovation in pueblo pottery production.

Helen Cordero created a pottery figurine of an adult male with numerous children clinging to every part of him. This was the beginning of the \"storyteller\" figurine and was inspired by memories of her grandfather years earlier. A storyteller made by her is to be a treasured item in any collection. She once commented early on  “I guess I really started something.” (source unknown) Now, the storyteller figurine is a common figurine produced from any pueblo that still makes pottery today.

In this collection, the storyteller figurine is only one of the figures she produced. Although she never made a female storyteller, she did make “singing mothers,” mother turtles, drummer figurines and other types of figurines including animalitios (animal figurines).

Adobe Gallery Recommended Reading:
The Pueblo Story Teller:
Development of a Figurative Ceramic Tradition
(click here to view details of book)
by Barbara Babcock, et al.
(Available from Adobe Gallery)