CONTACT

Pierre Nichols PLNgourds@q.com
GALLERIES

Tatiana Maria Gallery
305 & 307 N. Bullard St.
Silver City, NM 88061
575-388-4426

Tanner Tradition
Native American
Arts & Jewelry
624 Sudderth Dr.
Ruidoso, NM
EXHIBITIONS

Celebration of Gourds
Feb 25-26, 2012
NM State Fair Grounds
Albuquerque, New Mexico
newmexicogourdsociety.org

Ruidoso Art Festival 2012
July 27, 28, 29
Ruidoso Convention Center
Ruidoso, New Mexico
Visit
www.wuertzfarm.com
newmexicogourdsociety.org
texasgourdsociety.org

Pierre Nichols
Artistic endeavors led Pierre Nichols through many experiences — the Chicago Art Institute, commercial photography, volunteer art teacher with troubled youth, and western art gallery owner. As a gourd artist with over 20 years of experience in gourd work, his focus is in producing highly detailed pyro-engraving featuring the unique design work of the prehistoric Mimbres Culture. That culture was located near his home and studio in Silver City New Mexico. While Pierre does incorporate interpretation into his work, he also strives to revitalize interest in all of the Southwest prehistoric cultures, particularly the Mimbres Culture.

He is recognized as a Master Gourd Artist with a Best of Division Award. And also first place ribbons in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Idaho. His work has been featured in newspapers and magazines throughout Southwestern New Mexico.

A Brief History of the Mimbres Culture
The state of New Mexico has been home to quite a few prehistoric cultural groups. Recognized as most unique of all for its realistic imagery on pottery, is that of the small Mogollon cultural group known as the Mimbres or Mimbreno. Located in the southwest Gila mountain area along the Mimbres River Valley, their story began as early as 200 A.D. and climaxed late in the 12th century. All archeological evidence and compilations of studies by renowned persons in the field of Mimbres research such as J. Walter Fewkes, Burton and Hattie Cosgrove, to name a few, offer evidence of a peaceful creative people living in harmony with their surroundings.

From hunter gatherers in pit houses to cultivators of field crops with organized villages, these people of the Mimbres developed socially and spiritually as is evidenced by the unique imagery on their pottery. Their detailed depictions and use of human and animal figures painted black on white around the inside of their bowls is most unique. While pottery has always been a burial item of all prehistoric cultures, the Mimbres seemed to specialize in it. Often used in the burials, the bowls were punctured in the bottom with a "kill" or "spirit hole," then placed over the head of the deceased. Although there was contact and some trade between the Mimbres and others of the Mogollon, Anasazi and Hohokam cultures, the Mimbres people maintained their distinct styles of designs aside from those of the others.

Soon after the first millennium came to a close, all the southwest cultures seemed to suffer a rapid decline as did the people of the Rio Mimbres. Their large villages, with their beautiful pottery buried beneath, were abandoned and forgotten long before the Spanish explorers came into the area. Today, the very limited pottery of the prehistoric Mimbres people is highly coveted by museums around the world.