Nora Naranjo-Morse
2000 Dubin Fellow
Nora was born at Santa Clara Pueblo in 1953. She grew up at Taos
Pueblo where her father—a Baptist minister—worked. After
graduating from Taos High School, she received a B.A. from the College
of Santa Fe in 1982, with a major in Social Welfare. Nora learned
clayworking from her mother, potter Rose Naranjo, and is best known for
her clay figures. Her figures often personify her social commentary on
contemporary Anglo and Indian lifestyles, and have won several top
awards at Indian Market. She also creates bronze sculpture and
multi-media installations. Her work has been exhibited throughout the
country, and is in collections at the Heard Museum, the Museum of
Northern Arizona, the Albuquerque Museum, and the Smithsonian
Institution. In addition to these accomplishments, Nora is a video
producer and a writer, and has published several volumes of poetry. She
was a Katrin H. Lamon Fellow at the School for Advanced Research
(1988-89), where she wrote poetry about pottery. She has done poetry
readings and pottery demonstrations in the United States and in Europe.
