Category: Behind the Design

Native Artists x Tea Collection: Museum of Indian Arts & Culture

January 17, 2018

Isleta Pueblo Pottery Demonstration

The Museum of Indian Arts & Culture opened in 1931, with a mission to collect and preserve Southwest Native American material culture. On our visit, we were so inspired by the Pueblo pottery found in the collection that we felt passionate about bringing the patterns to life in our newest Tea designs. Antonio Chavarria—curator of Ethnology at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, and resident of Santa Clara Pueblo—beautifully explains the importance pottery plays in the lives of Pueblo communities.

Native Artists x Tea Collection: Meet Martha Berry

January 17, 2018

Martha Berry

Born and raised in northeastern Oklahoma, Martha Berry is a renown Cherokee beadwork artist. Taught to use a needle and thread by her beloved grandmother, she made a career as a seamstress for a touring ice show at the age of 20. Years later, she turned her skill to the traditional beadwork of her Cherokee ancestors, leading the revival of this iconic Southeastern tribal art form. In 2013, she was designated a Cherokee National Living Treasure, and today she’s here to share her story with you.

Native Artists x Tea Collection: Meet Benjamin Harjo Jr.

January 17, 2018

Benjamin Harjo Jr.

One of the nation’s leading American Indian artists, Oklahoma-based Benjamin Harjo Jr. is an award-winning Absentee Shawnee-Seminole painter and printmaker best known for his highly stylized geometric forms and use of boldly saturated colors. His art evokes a vibrant, storytelling quality, with imagery that echoes traditional Seminole, Navajo, Plains Indian, and Northwest Coast designs. A very busy and talented artist, we were lucky enough to catch him for a brief Q&A. Here’s what we learned about his life and work.

Native Artists x Tea Collection: Meet Gregory Lomayesva

January 17, 2018

Gregory Lomayesva

An internationally recognized painter, sculptor and mixed-media artist, Santa Fe-based artist Gregory Lomayesva is a master of many mediums. Born of Hispanic and Hopi roots, his whimsical pieces have a wonderful folk art flare that weave together the colors, motifs, and stories reminiscent of his rich cultural heritage. We had the unique chance to chat with Gregory to get a behind-the-scenes peek at his world. Get the inside scoop below.

Native Artists x Tea Collection: Meet Jessica Osceola

January 17, 2018

Jessica Osceola

A passionate ceramist, sculptor and multimedia artist, Naples-based Seminole artist Jessica Osceola looks to her multicultural roots to meld traditional Native American themes and materials with contemporary art. Her work is infused with traditional tribal patterns and patchwork, which her grandma (a 19th-century Seminole leader, artist, and activist) taught her to sew when she was a small girl. Not only were we lucky enough to have her adapt one of these classic Seminole patterns into a bold and playful Tea print, we had the chance to chat with the artist herself and get a glimpse into her colorful world.