Joe Cajero: Pueblo Indian sculptor and painter
Joe Cajero, Jr. was born in 1970 in Santa Fe, New Mexico and raised in the Pueblo of Jemez. He is a descendant of a long line of Pueblo artists, including his father, a painter, and his mother, Esther, a potter. He attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe after high school, where he studied two dimensional art and traditional pottery making. He became known internationally for his smiling koshare figures, but in recent years he has made limited-edition bronze figures. He is also beginning to paint again, an art form that has always been close to his heart. In New Mexico his work can be seen at Wright’s Indian Art and Legends Santa Fe.

Images below: Koshare with Mirror; Cajero lecturing at Legends Santa Fe; Relationship/The Eternal Journey

Current projects include the Deer Dancer which premiers at Indian Market. Of this piece he says “I would like to show how the Jemez people pass on our tradition to our children.” Another large project is the Horse Project for the Southern Ute Tribe in Ignacio, Colorado, just east of Durango. They have commissioned two horses for their Sky Ute Lodge and Casino. Completion of this project will be sometime in the Spring of 2009.

"My creative energy is often spiritual in nature. Each of my sculptures invariably represent some aspect of praise and appreciation for life’s beauty. Since my Pueblo religion restricts the realistic unveiling of ceremonial life, the challenge is to use abstract art to represent the sacred; images that specifically capture a reflection of my spirituality and expressions of my intercession with the Creator."
-Joe Cajero

Visit Joe Cajero at Santa Fe Indian Market, August 18-19, Booth 231 SFT (Old Santa Fe Trail) or on line at www.cajerosculpture.com
 

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Last Updated August , 2008