The Journal

Mesa Verde National Park will host a pottery-making demonstration by Santa Clara Pueblo-born Starr Tafoya at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the park’s Visitor and Research Center.

Tafoya will demonstrate how to mold clay into the desired shapes, explain the polishing and painting process and finish by firing several pieces using traditional methods. She will have a number of finished pieces available for sale. The demonstration, pottery firing and sale, are part of the annual Four Corners Lecture Series.

Starr Tafoya was born and raised in Santa Clara Pueblo south of Espanola, New Mexico. She learned to make traditional Santa Clara red- and blackware pottery from her mother, Jane Baca. They specialized in animal and bird figures and geometric pieces. After Jane died in 2011, Starr continued the tradition with her sisters, Velma and Kathy.

The demonstration is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit www.mesaverde.org/four-corners-lecture-series.