Marilyn Ray

Acoma Pueblo

One of the noted Lewis sisters of Acoma Pueblo, Marilyn was born into the Yellow Corn Clan in 1954. Together with Rebecca Lucario, Diane Lewis, Carolyn Concho and Judy Lewis, she learned the art of pottery making from their mother, Katherine Lewis, and their grandmother, Delores Sanchez.

As an older sister in the group, Marilyn is often credited with inspiring the others to make pottery the traditional way. She began working with clay herself when she was 12 and was producing pottery for the marketplace by the time she was 18. Her specialty is storyteller figures and she has made some of the largest, most complex and most innovative storytellers ever made. She also makes nacimientos (nativities), small children, animals and friendship bowls.

There is an interview with Marilyn where she demonstrates how she makes her pottery and talks about what the shapes and designs mean tho her. The video was live streamed in August, 2020.