Born on the Acoma Pueblo in 1946, Dorothy Torivio learned the art of pottery making from her mother and became a true innovator of this art form. She was among the first to utilize and refine the “op art” (optical art) style in Acoma pottery, repeating geometric shapes throughout her designs, and won numerous awards and recognition in her lifetime. She created this beautiful seed pot with a black-and-white design using a yucca brush to apply classic Acoma patterns. Beginning around the vessel’s neck and working in concentric circles, she increased the scale of the shapes as they cover the pot’s shoulders and contracted them again toward its base, emphasizing its shape.  

Dorothy Torivio (1946–2011), Flattened Seed Pot. Clay and slip, about 1990. 3 7/8 × 6 3/4 in. (9.8 × 17.1 cm). Purchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott, 2024.117. Not on view.*