Taking place in the Cargill Gallery, the free exhibition celebrates Folwell’s revolutionary pottery

August 28, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS – The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), in partnership with The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, is thrilled to welcome “O’ Powa O’ Meng: The Art and Legacy of Jody Folwell” as the museum’s latest exhibition, available for viewing from Sept. 14, 2024 – Jan. 26, 2025 in the Cargill Gallery.

Jody Folwell is a contemporary potter from Kha’p’o Owingeh (Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico) who is widely considered among the most significant and influential clay artists of her generation. Folwell has revolutionized contemporary Pueblo pottery – and Native art more broadly – by pushing the boundaries of form, content and design. She is the first Pueblo artist to employ writing and designs as personal, political and social narratives on her pottery.

The iconic works showcased within “O’ Powa O’ Meng” (“I came here, I got here, I’m still going” in the artist’s Tewa language) span the breadth of Folwell’s groundbreaking career and demonstrate the arc of her artistic development. The exhibition centers Folwell’s practice and situates her within the intersecting artistic contexts of Kha’p’o Owingeh, Native American art, and Contemporary and American art more broadly.

“Over the past five decades, Jody Folwell’s avant-garde innovations have inspired other artists and the public,” said Katie Luber, Nivin & Duncan MacMillan Director & President at Mia. “We are so excited to celebrate her career with the Twin Cities community through the opening of this latest exhibition.”

“Collaborating with Mia to support the work of this trailblazing artist has been a meaningful opportunity to The Fralin as we strengthen our network of both artist and institutional partnerships. We thank the Terra Foundation for American Art for making possible this retrospective and its accompanying catalog,” said Karen E. Milbourne, J. Sanford Miller Family director of The Fralin. “Jody Folwell is one of the most important and consequential Native potters in the United States.”

This exhibition was organized by the Fralin Museum of Art and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

This catalog and exhibition are made possible through support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Major support for Mia’s presentation is provided by Lorraine R Hart.

For more information on “O’ Powa O’ Meng: The Art and Legacy of Jody Folwell” as well as other upcoming exhibitions, visit new.artsmia.org.