Myrtle Cata

San Juan Pueblo/Ohkay Owingeh

Half San Juan and half San Felipe, Myrtle Cata was born into the Turquoise Clan at San Juan Pueblo in 1953. She was inspired from inside her heart to learn the traditional way of making pottery and to that end, she took many different art and pottery classes to learn the fundamentals.

She began producing pottery for the marketplace in 1979. That was around the time she met Tina Garcia from Santa Clara Pueblo. The two shared their pottery-making techniques and cross-pollinated each other's creations. Myrtle has since made a name for herself with her graceful and classic micaceous clay creations.

Myrtle signs her pieces: Myrtle Cata, San Juan Pue.