Releases | New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Opens "Painted Reflections: Isomeric Design in Pueblo Pottery"

December 16th, 2021

Santa Fe, NM The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition, Painted Reflections: Isomeric Design in Ancestral Pueblo Pottery, on February 6, 2022, which runs through March 12, 2023.   

Explore the designs on ancestral and contemporary Pueblo pottery by visiting Painted Reflections: Isomeric Design in Pueblo Pottery. Never before the subject of a museum exhibition, Painted Reflections offers new insights into the study of Pueblo art through an analysis of the visual structure of ceramic design.  The exhibition also demonstrates the ways in which contemporary Indigenous artists are using isomeric design in their work, placing ancestral ceramics in conversation with the innovations of contemporary artists. 

Painted Reflections emphasizes the sophisticated aesthetic qualities of Pueblo art through the study of reversible optical illusions and ambiguous figure-ground relationships. Beginning around 900 AD, Ancestral Pueblo artists began producing new designs on their ceramics—they painted pairs of motifs called isomers, or equal forms. From a conventional perspective, these works appear as painted motifs on unpainted backgrounds. But simultaneously, they also appear as unpainted images on painted backdrops. The exhibition contextualizes isomeric design within larger artistic trends and trajectories, bridging the gaps between art history, anthropology, and archaeology, and includes examples of isomeric designs made by both ancestral and contemporary artists. 

Painted Reflections is co-curated by Joseph Traugott, Ph.D., retired curator at the New Mexico Museum of Art, Antonio R. Chavarria (Santa Clara Pueblo), curator of ethnology at MIAC, and Scott G. Ortman, Ph.D., associate professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado—Boulder. The exhibition is based in-part on Painted Reflections: Isomeric Design in Ancestral Pueblo Pottery, a book written by the co-curators and published by the Museum of New Mexico Press in 2018.   

"The opening of Painted Reflections marks an important moment for MIAC. By presenting ancestral Pueblo pottery to the public in a fresh and nuanced way, the curatorial team is encouraging visitors to rethink what they think they know about Pueblo art,” said Dr. Matthew Martinez, Ph.D., MIAC’s interim executive director.  

 

About the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture   

The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture is a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, under the leadership of the Board of Regents for the Museum of New Mexico. Programs and exhibits are generously supported by the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and our donors. The mission of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology is to serve as a center of stewardship, knowledge, and understanding of the artistic, cultural, and intellectual achievements of the diverse peoples of the Native Southwest.  

# # #

Gallup Black-on-white bowl

Gallup Black-on-white bowl

New Mexico CulturePass

Your ticket to New Mexico's exceptional Museums and Historic Sites.
From Indian treasures to space exploration, world-class folk art to awesome dinosaurs—our museums and monuments celebrate the essence of New Mexico every day.
More Info »

The wallet size version of the CulturePass showing the $30 price
An animated image of a cell phone showing various topics presented in the Encounter Culture podcast

Encounter Culture

Take a look inside the museums and historic sites of New Mexico without leaving home. Join host Charlotte Jusinski, and a variety of guest curators, artists, and exhibitors in exploring the art and culture of the state in Encounter Culture, a new podcast from the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.

Logo and Link to Google Podcasts Logo and Link to Apple Podcasts Logo and Link to Spotify Podcasts

Featured DCA Exhibitions

A photo featuring items representing the Working on the Railroad exhibition

Working on the Railroad

Working on the Railroad pays tribute to the people who moved the rail industry throughout New Mexico. Using nearly
more »

A photo featuring items representing the Multiple Visions: A Common Bond exhibition

Multiple Visions: A Common Bond

Multiple Visions: A Common Bond has been the destination for well over a million first-time and repeat visitors to the
more »

A photo featuring items representing the Silver and Stones: Collaborations in Southwest Jewelry exhibition

Silver and Stones: Collaborations in Southwest Jewelry

Currently on display in the New Mexico History Museum’s Palace of the Governors, is an unusual jewelry collection
more »

A photo featuring items representing the The Santos of New Mexico exhibition

The Santos of New Mexico

As part of our Highlights from the Collection: The Larry and Alyce Frank Collection of Santos (saints), in the Palace
more »