Mary Small (Kal-la-Tee, meaning: New Indian Basket)) was born into the Jemez Pueblo Sun Clan in July, 1940. She learned the traditional ways of making pottery from her mother, Perfectita Toya, beginning about the time she turned 8 years old. As a young adult she married Frank Tenorio of San Felipe and in the pueblo tradition, he moved to Jemez. A few years later she divorced Frank and then married Ivan Small of Jemez.

Mary grew to adulthood at Jemez at a time when the quality of Jemez pottery had really fallen off. She has been credited with helping to revive fine quality pottery making in the pueblo. She spent decades working with younger potters to encourage excellence and instill a sense of pride in their work. For Mary, making pottery is a very spiritual pursuit requiring different prayers at each step of the process. About her finished pieces she says, "They are blessed, they have power."

For many years Mary was a participant in shows like the Eight Northern Pueblos Arts and Crafts Show, the Albuquerque Indian Arts and Crafts Association Show and the Santa Fe Indian Market, beginning around 1973. She earned many award ribbons during her career, including a 1st Prize at Santa Fe Indian Market in 1981 and a 1st Prize at the Powhatan Renape Nation Indian Arts Festival in 1999. Other ribbons came from the Gallup Inter-Tribal Ceremonials, Heard Museum Indian Arts Guild and Fair and the New Mexico State Fair. In 2002 Mary was the Indian Arts and Crafts Association Artist of the Year.

Mary and her husband spent years experimenting with natural materials to come up with her trademark blue/gray slip and her burnt red/orange designs. Her favorite shapes to make include bowls, jars, wedding vases, storytellers, miniatures and ornaments. Her favorite designs are clouds, corn plants and feathers-in-a-row. She also made some exceptionally large pottery and liked to inlay large turquoise stones in her wedding vases, often in the center of a swirling design of corn plants, lightning bolts and prayer feathers.