Dorothy said this is the tallest storyteller she has ever made, and fired this open air outside due to the height.
Dorothy Herrera is a notable Native American potter from the Cochiti Pueblo in New Mexico and is most known for her distinct style of handmade, clay storyteller figures. Born into a family of fine Cochiti potters in 1970, Dorothy learned her artistic trade from her late mother, Mary Frances Herrera. During the 1930s through the 1970s, her grandmother, Laurencita Herrera, was one of the finest Cochiti potters of that era.
Dorothy’s siblings, Edwin Herrera and Mary Ramona Herrera (goes by Mona), are also well-known potters that along with Dorothy carry their family’s practices using traditional pottery making methods that have been passed down through their family for generations.
Similarly Dorothy taught her daughter, Hannah Pecos, their family’s methods of traditional pottery making. Hannah used her mother’s instruction throughout her high school years to make pottery storyteller figurines in a similar style to her mom.