Growing up at the foot of the great Jemez volcano, Emma became a third-generation potter following her great-grandmother, Reyes Toya, and her mother, Ida Yepa, who had, herself, built a reputation for her intricate sgraffito incised pottery and carving. Emma is a member of the Coyote Clan at the Jemez Pueblo also known as Walatowa, a Towa word meaning “the place.”

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Ida Yepa began teaching her daughter at age 11, and Emma reached expert level in traditional hand-coiled, stone polished native pottery specializing in modern swirl and melon patterns and incised pottery with one-, two- and three-toned red, green and buff slips and micaceous finishes native to New Mexico.

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Emma is featured in the new book, Creativity and Native American Pottery by James P. Barufaldi, Ph.D. She was published in the Indian Artist Collector’s Guide, the Indian Market Magazine, and in Southern Pueblo Pottery magazine. Internationally recognized, Emma Yepa has won prizes from the Santa Fe Indian Market, the Eight Northern Arts and Crafts Show, Jemez Red Rocks Arts & Crafts Show, and the Los Angeles Southwest Museum Show. Her work appears on Facebook and Instagram.