(1961-Present)
Pueblo: Zia Pueblo/Santa Ana
Rachel Medina claims dual relationship to Zia, her native pueblo, and Santa Ana Pueblo, where she has lived. She is a daughter of Sofia and Rafael Medina, granddaughter of Juanita Toribio Pino, and great-granddaughter of Rosalea Medina Toribio. Her brother is Marcellus Medina.
Rachel’s mother, Sofia, taught her the techniques of Zia pottery and Eudora Montoya of Santa Ana taught her the techniques of Santa Ana pottery. Although she is originally of Zia, she signs her work Rachel Medina-Raton of Santa Ana.
She has been an active potter since the 1980s working with polychrome jars and bowls. Rachel creates pottery in both the Santa Ana and Zia styles having lived in both pueblos. This allows Rachel to create a very unique style of pottery blending the heritage of both pueblos.
Her work is included in Berger & Schiffer’s “Pueblo & Navajo Contemporary Pottery”, Rick Dillingham’s “Fourteen Families in Pueblo Pottery”, Hayes & Blom’s “Southwestern Pottery: Anasazi to Zuni”, “Southern Pueblo Pottery: 2000 Artist Biographies,” by Dr. Gregory Schaaf and Peaster’s “Pueblo Pottery Families”.