Povi Romero is an artist, art historian, and fine-arts professional. As Native American Arts Fellow with the Vilcek Foundation, Romero leads tours and programs related to the Vilcek Foundation’s exhibition of Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery, on view through June 2024. 

Romero works under the direction of Vilcek Foundation President Rick Kinsel on the engagement of the foundation’s collection of Native American pottery and artwork. She is responsible for community outreach initiatives, and in the development and support of programs related to the foundation’s exhibitions and collections.

A graduate of Dartmouth College, Romero studied sculpture and photography and minored in anthropology. A practicing artist in contemporary ceramics and photography, her first engagement with ceramic art was as a youth, learning traditional pottery techniques from her mother and maternal grandparents. Romero describes her work in contemporary pottery and in photography as “inspired by ancient Mimbres pottery designs, emotional experience, Indigenous mythology, pop culture, and comic books.” Her work has been exhibited in the United States and internationally. 

Driven by her interest in Native American history, culture, and anthropological studies, Romero worked alongside archaeologist Scott Ortman of the University of Colorado, Boulder, on archaeological digs in the Cuyamungue area of New Mexico for several summers. In this capacity, she worked with Ortman on cataloging pottery sherds, foundations, and relics.

Prior to joining the Vilcek Foundation, Romero worked as lead studio manager for Cara Romero Photography, coordinating art production, sales, fine-art handling, and the production of exhibitions in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico.