Maria and the Pueblo Pottery Tradition: The Sosland Collection

Estelle and Morton Sosland are well known in Kansas City for their outstanding collections of both Northwest Coast Indian and contemporary art, as well as their leading role in supporting the city’s visual arts for more than 50 years. Another area of their collecting interests is American Indian ceramics from the pueblos of the Southwest, on view in the exhibition Maria and the Pueblo Pottery Tradition in Gallery L7.

The exhibition highlights works by renowned ceramic artist Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo, her son Popovi Da and grandson Tony Da. There are also ceramics by notable artists from nearby Santa Clara, Cochiti and Acoma Pueblos.

When The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art opened in 1933, Maria Martinez was recognized with a display of her ceramics, as well as a vivid diorama of the potter at work in her studio. The museum once again celebrates Maria, her family and the extraordinary achievements of a group of New Mexico’s finest ceramic artists. These works from the Sosland collection reflect the enduring Pueblo ceramic tradition of continuity and innovation now considered among the most accomplished in the world.