Thomas Natseway

born 1953 Winslow, Arizona; lives Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

BiographyThomas Natseway was born in 1953. He is one of 11 children of Betty and Pete Nateseway of Laguna Pueblo. His father was a pipefitter and the family moved to Dallas, where Thomas Natseway spent 11 years of his life. In the early 1980s he worked as a journalist when he interviewed potter Charmae Shields of Acoma, whom he eventually married. He then moved to Acoma. At Acoma, he was trained by Charmae and her mother, Ethel Shields, in making pottery.

By around 1980, Natseway began making miniature replicas of Native American pottery, in part to avoid directly competing in the market with his wife and in-laws. His miniatures tend to range from one quarter to one and one quarter in size. Natseway uses designs inspired by Ancestral Pueblo designs and some contemporary designs. His work is found in collections including the Denver Art Museum, San Diego Museum of Man, and Smithsonian Institute.

Person TypeIndividual