Artist of the Month | August 2017

“George Rivera is the ex-Governor of the Pojoaque Pueblo north of Santa Fe, but is now devoting himself full-time to his art. He invited us over to his beautiful studio on the top of a mountain north of town and gave us a tour of what he is up to…take a look!”

~ Ron Whitmore

About the Artist

George Rivera, Recent Governor of the Pueblo of Pojoaque in northern New Mexico is a man of many talents. He has served his Pueblo since 1992 as Lt. Governor and was appointed and soon elected Governor upon the passing of former longtime Governor Jacob Viarrial.

George is also a Native American artist and has been sculpting and teaching art for over 20 years. His work centers primarily on monumental stone and bronze sculpture, painting and architectural design. The driving force behind all of his creations is the Native American Pueblo culture. George’s artwork reflects the symbolism and realism of both the past and present-day life of the pueblo people. Many of his subjects focus on pueblo dancers. One of his recent pieces, on permanent display in the Pueblo of Pojoaque, is a12-ton monumental sculpture of a buffalo, carved from Virginia soapstone. For Rivera, the buffalo is a symbol of stability for his tribe, both culturally and economically. His newest monumental creations, on display at the Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino, include a bronze Buffalo Dancer, Deer Dancer and Butterfly Dancer. He is responsible for the architectural style and aesthetics of this outstanding resort.​
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In addition to being an art instructor, George has been a teacher and cultural preservationist for his family and extended pueblo community. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Association of Indian Arts (SWAIA), has been a panelist for the New Mexico Arts Division, a guest lecturer at several colleges and was a participant in the 1995 U.S./China Arts Exchange in Kunming, China.