Glenda Loretto

Jemez jewelry artist.

In a Pueblo noted primarily for potters, Glenda stands out not only for being a jeweler but for the quality of her work.

Glenda Loretto was born into an artistic family from Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico. Her mother was a potter and her sister, Estella Loretto, is a well-known artist. Glenda graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1993 where she received her Associates Degree in Fine Arts.

While attending IAIA Glenda had the opportunity to attend a two week program at the Penland School of Arts in North Carolina to study jewelry. Glenda started as a potter but in 2000 she changed her medium to jewelry and attended the Poeh Arts in Pojoaque, New Mexico where she studied jewelry casting under David Gaussoin.

She has exhibited her work at the Santa Fe Indian Market; the Heard Museum Indian Market in Phoenix, Arizona; the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Museum of Indian Arts and Cultural (MIAC) in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the Denver Art Museum. In 2009 her work was published in the “Masters of Contemporary Indian Jewelry” by Nancy N. Schiffer.

Glenda received her Bachelors 2011 at IAIA in Studio Arts. She resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her 15 year old daughter. Her grown son is a Teacher at Rio Grande High School.  (Information is sourced from Glenda Loretto - I purchase directly from Glenda)