Where There is No Name for Art

Art is a rich and ancient tradition among the Tewa Pueblo Indians of northern New Mexico, going back to the pictures their ancestors carved and painted on stone across the Southwest. Today Pueblo art is created in an environment in which traditional forms overlap with modern media. Nowhere is this fusion more evident than in the art of Pueblo children. In Where There Is No Name for Art, photographer and "art coach" Bruce Hucko introduces us to some of his Tewa Pueblo students through their drawings, paintings, and words and through his photographs of them at work and at play. These children straddle two worlds. They participate in traditional dances and play video games. They paint airplanes and horses, basketball stars and sacred kivas. They also do their homework, help with the chores, and listen to rap music. The children's vibrant, imaginative artwork is complemented by their humorous and thoughtful commentary on living in a changing culture. Presenting an insider's view of what it means to be growing up Pueblo today, the children talk about their families and their communities, share their feelings about their culture, and discuss the process of making art.