Lucy Leupp McKelvey is an award-winning Diné (Navajo Nation) potter known for her large-scale, intricately detailed polychrome pottery that blends traditional Navajo methods with highly personal artistic expression. Her work reflects a lifelong commitment to elevating Navajo pottery into a fine art form while remaining rooted in traditional materials and techniques.

Raised near Sheep Springs, Arizona, McKelvey was brought up by her great-grandparents and other elder relatives. In the eighth grade, she moved to Gallup, New Mexico, to live with her mother and attend high school. She later earned a degree in education from Brigham Young University and taught for many years on the Navajo Reservation.

McKelvey first began mak...