Ty Moquino is the 24-year-old son of noted potter Jennifer Tafoya.  This is one of his new clay mask series.  This series is entitled “Past, Present, Future”.  His masks has been inspired by the science fiction he has read, along with being a commentary on the environment, sustainability, and Indigenous Futurism.  This mask is entitled, “Live in the Present”.  The mask has a lot of optical illusions in its presentation.  When you look at it from the front, there appear to be two polished eyes as if there is a face.  When the piece is turned, the horn at the bottom suddenly appears, and the viewpoint of the mask becomes the central open area.  This is meant to show the constant change of the present and how things change, depending on how we look at them. The contrast of polished, matte, and micaceous surfaces on this piece are exceptional, creating depth and shadow!  The piece was traditionally fired and we had a metal museum mount made for it so that it will stand as a sculpture.  It is great to see new work from this creative potter.  It is signed on the back, “Ty”.

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Moquino, Ty (b. 2002)

Ty Moquino

Ty Moquino is a son of noted potters Jennifer and Mike Moquino. He is a grandson of Corn Moquino and Ray Tafoya. He has been making pottery since he was little and now continues to win awards for his creative pottery. He won the "Best of Youth" Pottery at the Heard Museum Indian Market in 2017.