The Vilcek Foundation is thrilled to announce that Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery will be shown at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC) in Albuquerque, NM as part of the nonprofit organization’s 50th Anniversary in March 2026. 

The exhibition, developed in partnership with the School for Advanced Research (SAR), includes more than 100 historic and contemporary works of Native American Pueblo pottery. Since its debut in 2022, it has been exhibited at five museums across four states, including the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe, NM; The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Vilcek Foundation, New York, NY; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; and the Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis, MO.

The traveling exhibition’s final presentation at the IPCC, which was established by the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico in 1976, represents an ancestral homecoming for the pieces, along with a successful reimagining of the traditional curatorial model previously used by Western museums, where ‘source communities’ are often excluded from the process. 

“After traveling to museums across the country, our breakthrough exhibition Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery will finally return home just in time to celebrate the IPCC’s 50th anniversary—I cannot think of a better ending to its tour,” says Rick Kinsel, Vilcek Foundation president. “The core of the exhibition’s success is its community-curated model, which not only brings awareness to the rich histories of Native peoples but also returns a portion of their agency. I am grateful to our partners for continuing our vision to combat the erasure of Native voices, and I look forward to seeing the wave of collaborative and community-driven exhibitions it inspires.”

The works included in the exhibition were selected by members of the Pueblo Pottery Collective from the Vilcek Foundation Art Collection and from the collections of the SAR and the Indian Arts Research Center in Santa Fe, NM. These pieces span centuries of Native American history, from works crafted before the arrival of Europeans to contemporary pieces by artists living in what are now New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. The Collective, established for this exhibition, comprises more than 60 curators of diverse ages, backgrounds, and professions. Most importantly, these individuals represent more than 20 Native American communities. 

The IPCC will also include a selection of Pueblo pottery from its collection in its Artists Circle Gallery and Art Through Struggle Gallery. To enhance the visitor experience, IPCC will also present public programming, including panel discussions and art demonstrations by members of the Pueblo Pottery Collective. 

Albert Alvidrez, former governor of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, potter, and one of the community curators for Grounded in Clay reflects, “This exhibit is like no other and holds the creative voices of living artists who continue to cherish and expand the tradition of pottery making. Bringing community curators together from Pueblo nations gave voice to the deep-rooted meaning of our pottery traditions. The efforts of the Vilcek Foundation, SAR, and the Pueblo Pottery Collective have provided audiences of many walks an opportunity to learn, experience, and interact with a timeless tradition that continues to persevere.”

Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery will be on view at the IPCC from March 20, 2026, through February 21, 2027.