Lorraine Gala Lewis

Lorraine Gala Lewis was born in Santa Ana, California.  She is a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts. At a young age, she lost her father, who was from Taos Pueblo.  Her mother moved their family back to  New Mexico, where she would meet Lewis’ step-father from Nambe’ Pueblo.  Lewis considers this her home. She had a traditional upbringing and grew up taking part in our dances & ceremonies. Although she didn't grow up in her other pueblos, she still has strong ties to them.

Lorraine loves the outdoors and naturally gravitated towards clay as her art medium. She grew up near Santa Fe and began selling her work at the Santa Fe Indian Market at 12 years old.

Instead of taking her work to a contemporary level, she decided to go backward in time & began studying ancestral pottery. Her work focuses on a time period from 950-1200 A.D, where she feels the most beautifully created pottery was produced.