Lucy M. Lewis

Acoma potter Lucy Mitchell Lewis was born around 1902. She is the daughter of Lola Santiago and Martin Ortiz. She learned pottery by watching her aunt, Helic Vallo, who was known for making large ollas and storage vessels. She began making pottery around 1920. She began signing her pots in 1950, and was the first Acoma potter to do so.

After meeting Kenneth Chapman, then director of Museum of New Mexico, in the late 1950s, he encouraged her and other potters working at the time, such as Marie Chino, to explore the pottery designs of the Ancestral Pueblos, including Mimbres and Tularosa. Lucy Mitchell Lewis is known for these revival style pots including jars bowls, vases, pitchers, and canteens. She also did figures including turtles, lizards and snakes. He work is in collections around the United States including the Smithsonian, Museum of the American Indian, and Museum of New Mexico.