Joe Cajero, Jr. is a highly accomplished sculptor from Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico. Winner of many awards, in 2014, Joe and his wife Althea were named Living Treasures at the Native Treasures show, sponsored by the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture in Santa Fe. In addition to the sculptures for which he is known, Joe also makes silver jewelry. See Joe’s jewelry here…
Artist’s statement:
“My creative energy is often spiritual in nature. Each of my sculptures invariably represent some aspect of praise and appreciation for life’s beauty. Since my Pueblo religion restricts the realistic unveiling of ceremonial life, the challenge is to use abstract art to represent the sacred; images that specifically capture a reflection of my spirituality and expressions of my intercession with the Creator.”
-Joe Cajero
Cajero comes from a long line of Jemez artists: his father is a painter, and his mother is a potter. In addition to learning from them, Joe was influenced by the stories he heard from his maternal great-grandmother Petra Romero. These stories reinforced the culture around him and continue to influence his work today. Imbued by his family’s knowledge, Cajero attended the Institute of American Indian Arts and received his Associates of Fine Arts Degree in May of 1992.
AWARDS
2014
Living Treasures Award – Native Treasures – Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2013
Santa Fe Indian Market, First Place, Bronze Sculpture
2009
Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, 1st Place, Bronze Sculpture
Ft. McDowell Indian Market, Best in Classification
Ft. McDowell Indian Market, Best in Category
2008
Santa Fe Indian Market, Best in Division, Clay Sculpture
Santa Fe Indian Market, 1st Place, Clay Sculpture
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Bronze Sculpture Sept.
Albuquerque Arts Business Association, Albuquerque Local Treasures Artist Award
2006
Sharlot Hall Musuem Show Prescott, AZ, Judges Choice, Bronze Sculpture
Santa Fe Indian Market, Best in Division, Clay Sculpture
Santa Fe Indian Market, 1st Place, Clay Sculpture
Santa Fe Indian Market, 3rd Place, Bronze Sculpture
2005
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Bronze Sculpture under 36″
2004
Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market, Best in Division, Bronze Sculpture
Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market, 1st Place, Bronze Sculpture
Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market, 3rd Place, Bronze Sculpture
2002
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Bronze Sculpture under 36″
The Philadelphia Craft Show, Best of Native American Exhibit
New Mexico Indian Arts and Crafts Assoc., 1st Place in Sculpture
2001
Santa Fe Indian Market, 1st Place, Clay Sculpture
2000
Santa Fe Indian Market, 1st Place, Clay Sculpture
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Bronze Sculpture
1999
Santa Fe Indian Market, 1st Place, Clay Sculpture
Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market, 2nd Place, Clay Sculpture
1998
Santa Fe Indian Market, 1st Place, Clay Sculpture
1997
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Clay Sculpture
1996
Santa Fe Indian Market, 1st Place, Clay Sculpture, Koshari Category
Santa Fe Indian Market, 3rd Place, Clay Sculpture, Single Piece Category
Southwest Indian Art Fair, Southwest Indian Art Award of Merit, Clay Sculpture
1995
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Clay Sculpture
1994
Santa Fe Indian Market, 1st Place, Clay Sculpture, Multiple Piece Category
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Clay Sculpture, Single Piece Category
Santa Fe Indian Market, 1st Place, Clay Sculpture, Nativity Scene Category
1993
Santa Fe Indian Market, Katherine and Miguel Otero Award for Creative Excellence (in any category), Clay Sculpture
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Clay Sculpture, Storyteller Category
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Clay Sculpture, Koshari Category
1992
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Clay Sculpture
1991
Indian Nations Rendezvous and Trade Fair, 1st Place, Clay Sculpture
Santa Fe Indian Market, 1st Place, Clay Sculpture
1990
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Clay Sculpture
Gallup Intertribal Indian Ceremonial, Best in Category, Clay Sculpture
1989
Santa Fe Indian Market, Honorable Mention, Clay Sculpture
1988
Heard Museum Art Show, Special Achievement Award, Painting
1987
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Pen and Ink Drawing
Eight Northern Pueblos Art Show, 3rd Place, Drawing
Eight Northern Pueblos Art Show, 3rd Place, Watercolor
1986
Santa Fe Indian Market, 2nd Place, Painting
Colorado Indian Market, 1st Place, Painting
FEATURED IN PUBLICATIONS
Ohnuma, Keiko: Cajero Draws Line Between Freedom & Tradition, The Sandoval Sign Post, Vol. 20, No. 8, Aug. ’08
Green, George M.: Joe Cajero Leaps Into His Soul, ABQ Arts, Vol. 8. No. 4, May ’04
Fauntleroy, Gussie: Joe Cajero Jr – Celebrating Pueblo Traditions & Humor in Clay & Bronze, Southwest Art, Jan. ’01
EXHIBITIONS
Sept. ’08 – Jan. ’09
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center – Albuquerque, New Mexico
Exhibition Title: Walatowa Sculptors: Shaping Our Stories
May ’04 – March ’05
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture – Santa Fe, New Mexico
Exhibition Title: “Contrast in Bronze” in the Arnold and Doris Sculpture Garden.
Monumental Exhibit of Embodiment of Prayer and Nurtured by Prayer
COMMISSIONS
2012 Mesa Verde National Park Visitors Center, Colorodo, Monumental Grandfather Storyteller
2008 Southern Ute Tribe, Colorado, Monumental Sculptures of Two Horses for the Sky Ute Casino
2007 Jicarilla Apache Tribe, New Mexico, Monumental Sculptures of Go-jii-ya Foot Race