Arnold Herrera
Arnold Herrera of Cochiti Pueblo and lifelong New Mexico artist, is a master of several traditional Pueblo art forms, a cultural interpreter, and preservationist.
Arnold Herrera
Cochiti Pueblo
2011 Recipient, Individual Artist
Arnold Herrera of Cochiti Pueblo and lifelong New Mexico artist is a master of several traditional Pueblo art forms, a cultural interpreter, and preservationist. He is best known as a drum maker, but is also celebrated for his silverwork jewelry and red willow baskets, as well as his skills as a Keresan song composer and traditional dance choreographer. Herrera was class valedictorian of Santa Fe Indian School and obtained a psychology degree from New Mexico Highlands University. In addition to his achievements in the Pueblo arts, Herrera has worked for the National Park Service at both Bandelier and Pecos National Monuments, and for the Institute of American Indian Arts. He has also worked with the Santa Fe Indian School and many New Mexico Pueblos teaching young people crafts and leadership skills. In 1998 and 2000, he represented New Mexico's Pueblo culture with drum making demonstrations at the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife in Washington DC. He currently serves as a member of the New Mexico Humanities Council's Speakers Series.