Jody Folwell, Santa Clara Pueblo/Kha’p’o Owingeh, born 1942. Collection of Jody Folwell, Santa Clara. Photo by Addison Doty ©Jody Folwell
NMMA News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Museum of Art (NMMA) announces the opening of O’ Powa O’Meng: The Art and Legacy of Jody Folwell, a tightly focused career retrospective organized by The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), in partnership with The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia.
This exhibit opens Feb. 7 and runs through June 21, 2026.
Folwell (b. 1942), a contemporary potter from Kha’p’o Owingeh (Santa Clara Pueblo), New Mexico, is widely recognized as one of the most significant and influential clay artists of her generation. Over the past five decades, Folwell has transformed Pueblo pottery and Native art by pushing the boundaries of traditional form, content, and design. She is the first Pueblo artist to use pottery as a platform for social justice advocacy and political commentary, and her pioneering use of writing and innovative imagery as direct narrative has shaped the work of younger generations of Native clay artists.
O’Powa O’Meng features approximately 25 iconic works that trace the arc of Folwell’s groundbreaking artistic practice. The exhibition title, O’Powa O’Meng—translated from the artist’s Tewa language as “I came home, I found myself, I’m going forward”—reflects Folwell’s lifelong commitment to cultural knowledge, self-determination, and artistic innovation.
“Jody Folwell’s work challenges expectations and expands the narrative of American art,” said NMMA Interim Executive Director Laura J. Mueller, PhD. “Presenting O’Powa O’Meng affirms Folwell’s rightful place as a visionary artist whose pottery speaks powerfully to personal experience, political realities, and the enduring strength of Pueblo culture.”
The exhibition spans the breadth of Folwell’s career, situating her practice at the intersection of Kha’p’o Owingeh traditions, Native American art, and contemporary American art. Through bold sculptural forms, incised text, and inventive surface designs, Folwell’s pottery asserts Native presence and sovereignty while redefining the expressive possibilities of clay.
O’Powa O’Meng: The Art and Legacy of Jody Folwell is co-curated by Adriana Greci Green, Ph.D., Curator of Indigenous Arts of the Americas at the Fralin Museum of Art; Jill Ahlberg Yohe, Ph.D., Curator at the Cafesjian Art Trust Museum; and Bruce Bernstein, Senior Scholar at the School for Advanced Research.
A fully illustrated catalog accompanies the exhibition, featuring essays and personal reflections by Folwell’s longtime artistic peers, friends, and family members, offering deeper insight into her life, work, and lasting influence.
This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Terra Foundation for American Art.