Jody Folwell was born into Santa Clara Pueblo in August, 1942. Her mother was Rose Naranjo, a highly respected Santa Clara potter. Jody and her siblings, Dolly Naranjo, Nora Naranjo, Tito Naranjo, and Rina Swentzell, grew up learning from some of the best traditional potters Santa Clara had to offer. Jody balances that traditional learning with studies in history and political science at the University of New Mexico, finishing with both a BA and an MA. She became an educator and lecturer from the early 1960s through the mid 1970s. It was in 1974 that Jody began making pottery full time.

Early in her career Jody moved away from traditional Santa Clara blackware and redware to create buffware with new forms, styles and colors. She does engraving, incising, carving, cut-outs and painting. Her pottery usually has a political or social message to it, whether that message be about women's rights, children's dreams or whimsical pop art.

In 1987 Jody was chosen as a top contemporary Indian artist by the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles for their major exhibit "Eight Indian Artists II." Among the other artists in the exhibit were Apache sculptor Bob Haozous, Winnebago potter Jacquie Stevens and Navajo painter Clifford Beck, and others. The experience led to years of collaboration with Bob Haozous, son of Apache sculptor Alan Houser.

Jody learned the traditional craft from her mother Rose and she passed that teaching on to her daughters, Polly Rose Folwell and Susan Folwell.

Some Exhibits that Featured Jody's Work

• Something Old, Something New, Nothing Borrowed: New Acquisitions from the Heard Museum Collection. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. April 2, 2011 - March 18, 2012
• Mothers & Daughters: Stories in Clay. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. January 10, 2009 - January 10, 2010
• Choices and Change: American Indian Artists in the Southwest. Heard Museum North. Scottsdale, Arizona. June 20, 2007 - April 2012
• Breaking the Mold: The Virginia Vogel Mattern Collection of Contemporary Native American Art. Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO. October 2006 - July 2007
• Breaking the Surface: Carved Pottery Techniques and Designs. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. October 2, 2004 - October 3, 2005
• The Collecting Passions of Dennis and Janis Lyon. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. May 2004 - September 2004
• Decidedly Diva: Part One, Jody Folwell, Polly Rose Folwell, Susan Folwell. Modo Gallery. Hudson, NY. October 11, 2003 - November 1, 2003
• Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation: Contemporary Native American Art from the Southwest. 2002-2003 Traveling exhibition planned for the following venues: American Craft Museum, New York, NY, 5/9/2002-9/15/2002; Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 10/13/2002-1/5/2003; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK, 1/19/2003-3/16/2003
• Jody Folwell - Santa Clara: New Works in Clay. Faust Gallery. Scottsdale, AZ. January 31, 2002 - February 7, 2002
• Hold Everything! Masterworks of Basketry and Pottery from the Heard Museum. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. November 1, 2001 - March 10, 2002
• Images, Artists, Styles: Recent Acquisitions from the Heard Museum Collection. Heard Museum North. Scottsdale, Arizona. July 2001 - January 2002
• The Legacy of Generations: Pottery by American Indian Women. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. February 14, 1998 - May 17, 1998
• The Legacy of Generations: Pottery by American Indian Women. The National Museum of Women in the Arts. Washington, DC. October 9, 1997 - January 11, 1998
• Recent Acquisitions from the Herman and Claire Bloom Collection. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. January 11, 1997 - July 1997
• Fifth Annual Hollywood Premiere. Four Seasons Hotel, Los Angeles, CA. November 23-24, 1991
• Fourth Annual Hollywood Premiere. Four Seasons Hotel, Los Angeles, CA. November 17-18, 1990
• From This Earth. Museum of New Mexico. Santa Fe, NM. July 1, 1990 - August 30, 1990
• First Annual Indian Arts and Crafts Show: A Juried Competition. Univ. of Kansas Museum of Anthropology. Lawrence, KS. September 16, 1989 - October 28, 1989
• The Pottery of Surprise: New Works by Jody Folwell. Gallery 10, Scottsdale, AZ. March 9, 1989 - March 15, 1989
• Eight Artists II: Contemporary Indian Art at the Southwest Museum. Southwest Museum of the American Indian. Los Angeles, CA. September 27, 1987 - January 5, 1988
• Jody Folwell, Elizabeth Medina, Barbara & Joe Cerno. Gallery 10. Scottsdale, AZ. January 22, 1987 - February 3, 1987
• Everlasting: Four Nationally Prominent Artists. Gallery 10. Scottsdale, AZ. March 6, 1986 - March 19, 1986
• The Santa Fe Indian Market Expanding Exhibit. Morning Star Gallery. Santa Fe, NM. July 26, 1985 - August 31, 1985
• Women of Sweetgrass, Cedar and Sage. Gallery of the American Indian Community House. NY. June 1, 1985 - June 29, 1985
• Indian Market East. Gallery 10. New York, NY. April 12, 1984 - April 28, 1984
• The Ceramics of Grace Medicine Flower & Jody Folwell. Gallery 10. Scottsdale, Arizona. February 24, 1983 - March 9, 1983
• Jody Folwell: Contemporary Pottery. Gallery 10. Scottsdale, Arizona. February 8, 1981 - February 19, 1981
• American Indian Art in the 1980s. The Native American Center for the Living Arts. Niagara Falls, New York. 1981
• Rising Stars. Gallery 10. Scottsdale, AZ. February 8, 1980 - February 27, 1980
• 1978 Heard Museum Guild Indian Arts and Crafts Exhibit. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. November 24, 1978 - December 2, 1978
• 1977 Heard Museum Guild Indian Arts and Crafts Exhibit. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. November 25, 1977 - December 3, 1977

Some Awards Jody has Won

• 2018 Santa Fe Indian Market: Native American Art Magazine Editor's Choice Award
• 2018 Santa Fe Indian Market, Classification II - Pottery, Division E - Contemporary Pottery, Any Form or Design, Using commercial clays/glazes, all firing techniques: Best of Division
• 2018 Santa Fe Indian Market, Classification II - Pottery, Division E - Contemporary Pottery, Any Form or Design, Using commercial clays/glazes, all firing techniques, Category 907 - Painted, any form: First Place
• 2018 Santa Fe Indian Market, Classification II - Pottery, Division E - Contemporary Pottery, Any Form or Design, Using commercial clays/glazes, all firing techniques, Category 907 - Painted, any form: Shared Second Place with Diego Romero
• 1993 Santa Fe Indian Market. Classification II - Pottery, Division G. Non-traditional, sgraffito, w/o stones, any color except black, Third Place
• 1989 Indian Arts and Crafts Show: a Juried Competition, Pottery: First Place. University of Kansas Museum of Anthropology. Lawrence, Kansas
• 1988 Santa Fe Indian Market. Classification II - Pottery, miscellaneous, Second Place
• 1987 Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial, Classification IV, Pottery, Bowl, Plate: Best in Classification
• 1987 Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial, Classification IV, Pottery, Bowl, Plate: Best in Category
• 1987 Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonial, Classification IV, Pottery, Bowl, Plate: First Place
• 1984 Santa Fe Indian Market, Best of Show
• 1984 Santa Fe Indian Market, Classification II - Pottery, Division G - Non-traditional pottery, new forms, innovations: Best of Division
• 1983 Santa Fe Indian Market, Classification II - Pottery, Division G - Non-traditional, new forms, innovation: First Place
• 1981 Santa Fe Indian Market, Classification II - Pottery: Best of Classification
• 1981 Santa Fe Indian Market, Classification II - Pottery, Division G -Non-traditional pottery: Best of Division
• 1981 Santa Fe Indian Market, Classification II Pottery, Division G - Non-traditional pottery: First Place
• 1978 Heard Museum Guild Indian Arts and Crafts Exhibit, Classification VII - Pottery, Division B - Contemporary: Honorable Mention. Awarded for artwork: Plain sienna vase. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. November 23, 1978
• 1979 Heard Museum Guild Indian Arts & Crafts Fair, Classification VII - Pottery, First Place 1979 Santa Fe Indian Market, Pottery: Black bowl with butterflies, Second Place
• 1979 Santa Fe Indian Market, Pottery: reclining figure, Second Place
• 1977 Heard Museum Guild Indian Arts and Crafts Exhibit, Classification VII - Pottery, Division B - Contemporary: Honorable Mention. Awarded for artwork: Brown and sienna carved pot