Maria Martinez Research Paper

Maria Martínez was heralded internationally for artistic accomplishment. People came to San Ildefonso from all over the world to meet her and she traveled extensively to meet other famous people and to receive awards. Both Japanese master potter Shoji Hamada and Hong Kong potter Bernard Leach, visited her to observe her skill. Hundreds of institutions recognized her artistic contributions during her lifetime. In 1934, she became the first woman to receive the bronze medal for Indian Achievement by the Indian Fire Council. In 1939 John D. Rockefeller, Jr., a patron of her work, asked her to lay the cornerstone for the Rockefeller Center in New York City. Four universities including the University of New Mexico and the University of Colorado conferred on her the honorary doctorate degree. The American Institute of Architects gave her the prestigious 1954 Craftsmanship Medallion and France, the French Palmes Académiques which recognized her artistic contribution to the international art community.
The Minnesota Museum of Art praised her achievements with the Art's Symbol of Man Award in 1969 and when the New Mexico Arts Commission instituted the First Annual Governor's Award in 1974, the first recipient was Maria