Press Release
Release Date: 2010-04-14
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Media Contact:
Connie Garcia
(505) 552-7861
cgarcia@skycity.com
New Exhibit Opens Friday, April 16 at
Sky City Cultural Center and Haak’u Museum:
Acoma Ollas Jars: Form, Function & Beauty
Acoma Pueblo, NM April 2010: New Mexico’s Acoma Pueblo unveils the new exhibition, Acoma Ollas Jars: Form, Function & Beauty, at Sky City Cultural Center & Haak’u Museum Friday, April 16, 2010. Discover the tribe’s mastery in pottery design and creation, through exploring artifacts that have evolved from functional item to revered art piece. With pieces on display dating as far back as 900 – 1100 AD, these pottery jars have played a vital role to Acoma’s survival for hundreds of years atop a 360-foot-high mesa in the New Mexico high desert.
The beauty of ollas (pronounced “ol-yus”) lies within the form, design and intricate elegance of these unique, large clay storage vessels. Both art piece and functional item, ollas were used as storage and transportation units for water and harvested produce by the tribe for hundreds of years. Coveted by art collectors around the world, Acoma ollas are characterized by beautiful, symmetrical and intricate designs.
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The exhibit features unique artifacts that have never been displayed for public viewing, including never-before-seen family olla heirlooms. Highlights include pieces by famed Acoma potters of the Lewis Family as well as ollas featuring unique patterns created between 1840 and 1910. Visitors can also learn more about the tribe members that created these masterpieces through a photographic display of Acoma potters, their pieces and their home on top of the mesa.
The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October; and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March. Admission to the Haak’u Museum is $20 per person which includes a guided tour of Acoma Pueblo; Discounts are available for Museum members, along with exclusive programming. For directions to Sky City Cultural Center and Haak’u Museum, and more information on the exhibit or Museum membership, visit www.skycity.com or call 1-800-747-0181.
In a land of stunning vistas, sandstone bluffs and multihued mesas, stands New Mexico’s Acoma Pueblo, the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America and the first and only Native American community designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, DC as a "Trust Site".
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Note to Editors: Museum General Manager Connie Garcia, Sky City Cultural Center & Haak’u Museum General Manager is available for interviews. High resolution images are available of key artifacts, the Museum and Acoma Pueblo.