Christine McHorse

Christine McHorse
Born Christine Nofchissey
1948
Morenci, Arizona[1]
Nationality Navajo
Education Institute of American Indian Arts
Occupation artist

Christine McHorse, also known in the art world as Christine Nofchissey McHorse, is a ceramics artist of Navajo descent.[2] Her work combines Navajo and Pueblo art traditions.[2]

Early years

Born Christine Nofchissey in 1948 in Morenci, Arizona, the fifth of nine children of Mark and Ethel Yazzie Nofchissey[3], McHorse lived off of a reservation in her childhood but spent summers in Fluted Rock, Arizona, herding sheep and learning about Navajo lore from her grandmother, Zonith Bahe.[3][1][4] From 1963-1968, she studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico when it was a high school for the arts on the campus of the Santa Fe Indian School.[1] Originally intending to study glassblowing, she chose to study ceramics when the glassblowing major was discontinued the year she arrived, studying with Ralph Pardington (ceramics), Charles Loloma (jewelry), Allan Houser (foundry arts) and Fritz Scholder (design)[3]. She met her future husband Joel P. McHorse at IAIA and was influenced by her future grandmother-in-law, Lena Archuleta of Taos Pueblo, to begin working with ceramics.[4][5] Archuleta inspired and instructed McHorse in using the shimmering micaceous clay that was common to the Taos area, and McHorse continues to use that clay in her work.[6]

Personal Life

In 1969[5] McHorse married Joel P. McHorse, a Taos Indian and fellow art student whom she met at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). They had two children, Joel Christopher and Jonathan Thomas, originally living in Taos but later moving to Sante Fe. [3]

Artwork and recognition

McHorse's artwork combines Navajo, Pueblo, and Anglo cultures.[7][8] McHorse's pottery uses a traditional coil-building method and she bases her work on traditional Navajo designs and legends, but her work is nontraditional in appearance.[4] Much of her work has a signature black surface, created by depriving the clay of oxygen during firing and making her creations popular in contemporary art venues.[4][9] McHorse was a participant in the Santa Fe Indian Market for 23 years, winning 38 awards for both pottery and sculpture.[6][1] Her work can be found in the permanent collections of the Heard Museum, the Denver Art Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, Navajo Nation Museum, and more.[10][2][1] McHorse's work is also featured in the book Dark Light: The Ceramics of Christine Nofchissey McHorse (Fresco Fine Art Publications).[3][6]

Awards:

From the Santa Fe Indian Market:

  • Best in Division, 1994[5]
  • Best of Classification Award in sculpture, 2001[11]
  • Challenge Award[5]
  • Best Sculpture- first time the award had been won by a potter rather than a sculptor[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Christine Nofchissey McHorse". Peters Projects. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  2. 1 2 3 "Christine McHorse". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1948-, McHorse, Christine Nofchissey, (2013). Dark light : the ceramics of Christine Nofchissey McHorse. Clark, Garth, 1947-, Del Vecchio, Mark., Doty, Addison., Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art., Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art., Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Albuquerque, NM: Fresco Fine Art Publications. ISBN 9781934491386. OCLC 840460673.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Weideman, Paul (20 September 2013). "The clay's the thing: sculptor Christine Nofchissey McHorse". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Clark, Garth (2006). "Christine Nofchissey Mchorse: A Free-spirit". Ceramics Art and Perception (66): [33]-38. ISSN 1035-1841. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 Parazzoli, Grace (18 August 2017). "At the top of her game: Christine Nofchissey McHorse". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  7. ↑ "Christine McHorse - Artist - Adobe Gallery, Santa Fe". www.adobegallery.com. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  8. ↑ "Dark Light: the Micaceous Ceramics of Christine Nofchissey McHorse Houston Center for Contemporary Craft". Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  9. ↑ Jadrnak, Jackie (16 January 2015). "Artist's sculpture style has changed as boredom inspires". www.abqjournal.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  10. ↑ "McHorse, Christine Nofchissey (b. 1948) Archives". King Galleries. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  11. ↑ Fauntleroy, Gussie (July–August 2011). "All that Glitters . . . Micaceous Pottery". Native Peoples Magazine. 24:4: 32–37.
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