Mary Small (b. 1945) - Jemez Polychrome Cross Ornament c. 1990s, 3" x 2" (P3109)

This piece is in excellent condition. Signed "Mary Small". Acquired from a private collection in California. The owner inherited this item from her mother, who was born in New Mexico in 1917. Her mother was a history teacher, and she started collecting in the late 1940s until around 2001. Both of her parents were active in music and theater. Together, they started the first commercial classical radio station, KHFM in Albuquerque. She also inherited works from her grandfather, who often visited the pueblos. The owner's grandfather photographed churches, of all ages from ruins to modern churches, and gave the photos to the state archives. During the 1980s, her grandfather discovered the Seismosaurus with a hiking friend in the Morrison Formation area, west of Albuquerque.