Grace Chapella

Ceramicist
Native American, (1874–1980)

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Grace Chapella is member of the Bear Clan of the Hopi-Tewa peoples. She learned traditional ceramics techniques from her mother TaTung Pawbe and her neighbor, the famed Hopi-Tewa potter Nampeyo. Tourists traveling through the Southwest frequently commissioned commercial pieces—particularly salt and pepper shakers—of her work to be used in commercial venues. Tom Polacca, the grandson of Nampeyo and brother to Fannie Nampeyo, encouraged Chapella to begin signing her work. After initial hesitation, she began doing so, making her one of the earliest Native American potters to consistently sign her work.