Nampeyo (~1858-1942) was a stellar pottery maker, known for her interpretations of ancient Hopi pottery styles. She was the first Southwestern Native potter to become known to the American public through traders promoting her wares, her travels across the country and through summer residencies demonstrating at the Grand Canyon. Nampeyo left a legacy that dozens of her descendants have drawn upon in their own works.

ASM associate curator Diane Dittemore will share highlights of ASM’s Hopi pottery by Nampeyo and her many descendants. Diane D. Dittemore, associate curator of ethnology, has worked at Arizona State Museum for more than forty-five years. With deep expertise in the history of Native cultural arts, Dittemore has played a pivotal role curating ASM’s significant ethnographic collections. Dittemore most recently curated exhibits about Indigenous basketry and jewelry. She also co-curated ASM’s Southwest Native pottery exhibit, a version of which is now online, and just updated ASM‘s online exhibit, A Nampeyo Showcase, first launched in 2000.
In 2024, the University of Arizona Press published her book, Woven from the Center: Native Basketry in the Southwest.