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Barbara and Joe Cerno (aka Barbara Hayah Cerno (b. 1951) and Merle Joseph Martin Cerno (b.1947))

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Barbara and Joe Cerno
Indigenous American: Haak'u (Acoma) Acoma Pueblo
Indigenous American: Haak'u (Acoma), b. 1951
Barbara Hayah Cerno (b.1951) and Merle Joseph Martin Cerno (b.1947) are a husband and wife team from Acoma Pueblo who sign their pottery B. J. Cerno.  They make some of the largest contemporary Acoma pottery being produced today.  They also have made some of the smallest, such as this seed jar.  On large water jars, they often decorate with a parrot theme, but on small seed jars they generally use Mimbres designs. Joseph learned from his mother, Santana Cimmeron Cerno, who was winning prizes for her pottery during the 1920's, the early years of Santa Fe Indian Market.  After their marriage, Barbara also learned from Santana. Barbara and Joseph use traditional materials and methods, Joseph forms the thin-walled pots after aging the handmade clay for a minimum of 6 months. The pots then dry for several months more before they are fired in a hand-dug pit. Barbara does the flawless painting, using natural mineral and vegetal colors. For inspiration, they often consult reference books of historic pottery designs.


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