Helen Cordero

Helen Cordero (June 15, 1915 – July 24, 1994) was a Cochiti Pueblo potter from Cochiti, New Mexico. She was renowned for her storyteller pottery figurines, a motif she invented, based upon the traditional "singing mother" motif.

Early work She first learned to create leatherwork, then in the 1950s started creating pottery birds and animals that her husband painted. It is said that Helen's aunt suggested clay as a medium over the more expensive leather. She also recommended figures after the early attempts by Helen at bowls and jars were misshapen.

Style and materials Cordero "followed a traditional way of life including digging her own clay and preparing her own pigments". She used three types of clay, all sourced near Cochiti Pueblo, and clay and plant materials for paint. Over time, Helen's finish became more refined, and she made her children separately instead of from the primary piece of clay allowing for her to vary their placement around the storyteller. As Helen's work progressed, she ultimately developed the trademark face for which her dolls are now known. This reflects the Pueblo belief that clay is living substance, and that the figurines are like living being.

Storyteller figurines The Cochiti women potters made figurines of women with children known as "Singing Mother" or Madonna, Cordero transformed this form into her Storyteller design in 1964. Yet, in a 1981 article, Cordero said she created the first Storyteller on her own in 1964. "I made some more of my Storytellers with lots of children climbing on him to listen, then I took them up to the Santo Domingo Feast Day" where Alexander Girard bought them. Not long after Helen started her figurines, Gerard asked her to increase her yield and the size of her figures. This request ultimately terminated in a 250-piece Nativity set. It is suggested that Gerard also proposed Helen should fashion a larger "Singing Mother" figure. Helen mulled over the idea, and thought of her grandfather, Santiago Quintana, who she remembered as a great storyteller. Helen's grandfather would in part inspire her first Storyteller, a male figure surrounded by five grandchildren. She described her process:"work outdoors in warm weather and at her kitchen table in the winter. Her husband and son drove one hundred miles to bring home the cedar wood she used to fire her pieces ... on an open iron grate behind her house." Her Storyteller design became popular with other pottery-makers, who have created variations, including animal storytellers. Helen Cordero Primary School, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is named after her.