Tribal Affiliation: Hopi
(1953-Present)
Ramson Lomatewama is the first and only full-time Hopi glassblower, as well as a traditional katsina doll carver, jeweler, published poet, and consultant. He is also an educator on several levels. Early in his career, he was a middle school and high school teacher, and for many years, served as adjunct faculty at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Ramson currently teaches glass art for the Hopitutuqayki (The Hopi School), an arts apprenticeship program located on the Hopi reservation. Ramson earned his B.A. degree from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont in 1981.
He is a member of the Eagle Clan of the Hopi Tribe, known for his blown and hand-sculpted glass spirit figures and corn maidens, which are drawn from his study of Hopi artifacts and iconography. His compelling spirit figures in glass are inspired by photographs of rock art in Horseshoe Canyon in Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Some of the most significant rock art in North America, these ancient works date to the Late Archaic period, from 2000 BCE to 500 CE.
