ork signed under the name “Marie” may have a different personal value or worth to Maria than that which was signed with her true name “Maria”. Not that the value or the artistic quality of the work changed, nor did it’s beauty, but rather that the political or societal ramifications around the work did change (Peterson 52). Maria’s willingness to ignore the bias of many cultures and produce her work with her real name is another testimony of her character, strength, pride, and her upbringing as Pueblo.Another factor of importance in consideration of the work of Maria Martinez is that not only did she receive a technique, but also she revived a lyrical style of design that had dropped out of favor with collectors and pottery admirers. The previous severe edges of design under the hand of Maria were translated into lines and curves reminiscent of water in a land where water, was, and still to this day is a precious commodity. And although there is some discussion about the end product of female and male art, it is not difficult to imagine the fluid lines of these designs mimicking the curve of the hand that produces them (Maloof 36).Maria’s acclaim in the art world brought back a certain pride to the Pueblo people, during a time when the majority of young Indians were shipped to American boarding schools so they could learn “appropriate” methods and skills in the world, rather than the “barbaric” or “primitive” methods of there ancestors. Alfreda Ward Maloof writes in Recollections From My Time in the Indian Service 1935 – 1943, of meeting Maria Martinez and of being impressed my her abundant skills and vibrant enthusiasm. She even developed a primer that she planed to use instructing students in reading entitled, “Maria Martinez Makes Pottery.” It may have been one of the first Bureau of Indian Services attempts at creating positive rol...
