Peter B. Jones (Beaver Clan, Onondaga Nation, born 1947)

Peter Jones is an Onondaga artist and potter in New York State. He studied under Hopi artist, Otellie Loloma, while attending the Institute of American Indian Arts in New Mexico in 1963. He also studied art at Bacone College in Oklahoma and at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Montana. Returning to the Cattaraugus territory in New York, his work draws on aspects of traditional pit-fired Haudenosaunee pottery, which features hand-built coiling and slab construction. “This returns to our people something that is uniquely ours.” Jones’ art reflects the issues that have impacted the Haudenosaunee.

His pottery is admired and collected by community members, Native American art collectors, and museums across the country and internationally. Jones operates a pottery workshop and studio on the Cattaraugus Territory, which is open by chance or appointment. He conducts pottery workshops and classes for schools, community groups, and other organizations.

In 2022, Jones was commissioned by Cuyahoga Falls to create a statue to be placed outside the Cuyahoga Falls Municipal offices. The bronze sculpture, River Trade, shows how indigenous people utilized the Cuyahoga River to trade with their peers in surrounding settlements.

Peter Jones is the 2023 Art in Craft Media Juror.