Native Artist Tonita Peña Tonita Pena Tonita Peña of Cochiti seems to have acquired a regular following of visitors who dropped by to watch her work, some even expressing an interest in buying her art. In a letter to Edgar L. Hewett written in 1921, Peña mentioned these admirers and requested that Hewett provide her with a studio space at the Museum of New Mexico, since she felt self-conscious about painting in front of an audience. Peña also seems to have enjoyed ongoing support from her second husband, Felipe Herrera, who died in 1920, and Epitacio Arquero, whom she married in 1922. Following Herrera's death, the governor of Cochiti granted her permission to hire others to fulfill her agricultural obligations to the Pueblo so that she might be free to paint, providing an income for herself and three children. Arquero structured family responsibilities such that Peña could continue to devote herself to her art, with older children helping to care for their younger siblings. When questions over the appropriateness of her paintings did arise, Arquero, by then governor of Cochiti, provided influential support, and persuaded the objectors that her sales violated no community standards. Beyond the realm of approbation, in one notable instance, the introduction of a watercolor into the artist's community served as the impetus for revitalizing an important aspect of its ritual life. Copyright 2012 References Deats, L. Contemporary Native American Artists. 2012. Reno, D. Contemporary Native American Artists. 1995. Schaaf, G. American Indian Jewelry I: 1200 Artist Biographies. 2003. |
While control over the
representation of their culture to
outsiders was clearly an area of
concern for Native communities,
the way the new art form was
received by their own members
must also be factored into its
interpretation. There are
accounts suggesting that in
particular circumstances,
paintings created for the external
market engaged considerable local
interest, apparently satisfying
the expectations of family,
friends, and neighbors for an art
relevant to their own experience.
representation of their culture to
outsiders was clearly an area of
concern for Native communities,
the way the new art form was
received by their own members
must also be factored into its
interpretation. There are
accounts suggesting that in
particular circumstances,
paintings created for the external
market engaged considerable local
interest, apparently satisfying
the expectations of family,
friends, and neighbors for an art
relevant to their own experience.
