Wallace Youvella Sr.

Hopi

Born in 1947, Wallace Youvella is a Hopi-Tewa potter from Sichomovi on First Mesa. A member of the Kachina Clan, he was the son of Susie Youvella. He learned the basics of making pottery from Susie but when it came time to produce, he watched his wife Iris and her mother Fannie a lot.

In the late 1970s he was one of the first Hopi men to make pottery (another was Tom Polacca). His pieces are closer to kachina carvings than to traditional pottery. He likes to carve Mimbres styles in 3D, using crosshatches on the piece to set the designs apart.

Early examples of his pottery show a strong resemblance to red-slipped, stone-polished pottery from Santa Clara. Later he switched to a more traditional Hopi style.