Weaving in Beauty

This wonderful churro is blissfully unaware of the beauty of that Red Mesa fleece. If only I had some shears...if only I knew HOW to shear...

Farmington, NM Jennie Slick and I are on our way to do a Navajo Weaving Boot Camp at Bear Lake in Utah and we had a chance to stop by the Sheep is Life Celebration today.  The event is being held on the campus of Navajo Preparatory Academy in Farmington, New Mexico and celebrates the Navajo lifeway.   There is still a full day of events tomorrow, including the sheep show, banquet and rug auction.   The event includes many workshops, free public seminars and round table discussions.  Even if your transporter beam to Farmington isn’t operational this year, start planning to be at a future event.

One of the highlights of Sheep is Life is opportunity to meet sheep husbandry experts like Dr. Lyle McNeal, who founded the Navajo-Churro Sheep Project.  That’s Dr. McNeal at the right in the picture below.

Dr. Lyle McNeal (right) with some Navajo-churro wool that is a central feature of the Sheep is Life Celebration

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

The Generations exhibit runs through January 23, 2010 at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, AZ.

Generations exhibit curator Mark Winter speaks at the exhibit opening

Two inspiring weaving exhibits are taking place over the next few months and you’ll want to visit them both if you can possibly do it.  The Generations exhibit from Toadena Trading Post runs through January 23, 2010 at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, AZ, and the Diamonds, Dreams and Landscapes exhibit at the Colorado University Natural History Museum in Boulder goes through May 30, 2010 with the exhibited pieces changing three times over the duration of the show.

Generations represents 20 years of work by exhibit curator Mark Winter.   As he worked to identify weavings with weavers and families, he documented clan and family relationships as well as weaving patterns and techniques.  The exhibit consists of 32 panels holding over 300 rugs, each panel representing a family/clan grouping, which is documented with the panel.  This is a far more detailed approach than I’ve ever seen in any exhibit and allows a level of textile analysis that is unparalleled because of Mark’s concentration on identifying the weavers of pieces as well as the techniques used.  Mark refers to this as giving credit to the weavers and there is video footage from Clara Sherman and other weavers to add to the intpretative nature of the exhibit.

The exhibit was originally hung at Mark’s Toadlena Trading Post, but has been expanded for the larger available space at the Navajo Nation Museum.  The large exhibit space also allows the observer and scholar to appreciate the impact of the textiles from different perspectives.

One of the documentation panels at the Generations exhibit.

The Diamonds, Dreams and Lanscapes exhibit explores the sweep of Navajo weaving from the Joe Ben Wheat collection at Colorado University’s Museum of Natural History.  Exhibit curator Judy Newland has arranged 20 to 30 selections for each cycle.  The curent installation represents the diamonds phase of the exhibit and concentrates on contemporary weavers and their design processes.  I don’t have any pictures from the exhibit yet (that’s a hint to those of you in the Boulder, Colorado area), but I will be trying to get there to see the current phase before it closes on October 1.   The second exhibit cycle, Landscapes, will run through February 4, 2010 and the final phase will be open from February 5 through May 30, 2010.

Now see how much better that essay’s going to be?

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

TahNiiBaa Naataanii's Dragonfly Cross study is an elegant blend of contemporary and traditional design.

Every year, TahNiiBaa Naataanii seems to grow more proficient and creative as an artist and craftsperson.  Each piece that she had displayed this year reflected a unique composition united by TahNiiBaa’s skill in the realization of her vision.   She has been working with shaped weavings for several years and wore one of her creations as a shoulder wrap.  The other shawl shaped piece was dedicated to Spiderwoman, once again incorporating traditional and contemporary elements.  The fringe was added after the piece was woven.   You can see the piece below at the left.

TahNiiBaa Naataanii's homage to Spiderwoman

Displayed in this perspective, TahNiiBaa's Chief Blanket study appears to be nearly three dimensional.

At the right is a Chief Blanket study that TahNiiBaa chose to display at a perspective about 90 degrees from the expected.  The color palette is also a departure from tradition and the woven crosses seem to float in space.

TahNiiBaa’s breadth and mastery are even more impressive considering her busy life as a mom and her work assisting her mother Sarah Natani with weaving classes and demonstrations.    TahNiiBaa expects to be at this year’s Sheep is Life Celebration and I’ll try to talk with her further about her work and her progress as an artist.

Just before I left, I got a picture of TahNiiBaa in front of her Chief Blanket.   You can also see her great fashion statement with that off-shoulder wrap.  Jo nizhóní (how beautifully done)!

TahNiiBaa Naataanii

Lynn Bullock at the Heard Museum let me know this morning that the Heard Museum has scheduled a second Gathering of Weavers Marketplace for November 7, 2009.

Mary Walker

Phoenix, AZ I was out of town during the Gathering of Weavers on November 1 and Roberta Sauerwein graciously offered to write an article and take pictures of the event. I’ve heard heard that the event resulted in several sales for the weavers. I’ll be sure to let you know if it will be repeated next year. Here’s Roberta’s report followed by a gallery of the pictures that she took at the event.

Saturday, Nov. 1, was a lovely day for the Gathering of Weavers in the tree lined central courtyard at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ. The entire area was filled with weavers of all ages and tables covered with beautiful rugs of every style and colour imaginable. Gilbert Begay had several small rugs made from handspun, hand dyed yarns. He is also making small handbags from natural coloured yarn. Nathan Harry was weaving a round rug with natural handspun on a bicycle wheel. Marie Dedman had a beautiful Second Phase Chief’s Blanket and a Germantown Revival rug. Helen Edwards was demonstrating the hand spinning that is used to create lovely natural dyed rugs. She made it look so easy. Valerie Allen was demonstrating dyeing with walnuts. D Y Begay was demonstrating dyeing with Sandalwood and Navajo tea. She was getting a beautiful orange from the tea. There were also several of D Y’s beautiful rugs as examples of the range of colours that come from natural sources.

Just outside the courtyard is a newly finished mosaic mounted on the wall. It is a representation of a D Y Begay rug titled Floating Weft Mosaic.

[Show as slideshow]

All pictures are courtesy of Roberta Sauerwein.