Weaving in Beauty

Navajo Code Talker Samuel Tso (center) will be participating in this year's Adopt a Native Elder Rug Show in Park City, Utah. From left in this picture from 2007 are Barbara Spelman, Jennie Slick, Samuel, Judy Sutton and Code Talker Keith Little.

Tempe, AZ Adopt a Native Elder will hold their 20th Annual Rug Show in Park City , Utah on the weekend of November 6th through 8th, 2009, just in time for holiday shopping.   The show draws weavers and other artists from many parts of the Navajo Nation.  You’ll find rugs and other art work and you’ll be able to see demonstrations of weaving,  carding and spinning.  This year’s event will include a tribute to native veterans featuring Navajo Code Talker Samuel Tso.  The show is a rare opportunity to witness history and art that you’ll want to attend if you can.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

Weaver Gilbert Begay will be among the participants at Navajo Weaver's Day July 17, in Window Rock, AZ.

Window Rock, AZ The Navajo Nation Museum has designated Friday, July 17 as their first Dinéjík’éhgo ‘Atło (Navajo Weaver’s Day).  The event will feature vendors, weaving demonstrations, food, a symposium, and two screenings of  the 2007 documentary “Weaving Worlds” (at 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM).  “Weaving Worlds” director Bennie Klain and weaver Gilbert Begay are among the participants in a panel discussion following each showing of the film, which is about an hour in length.   Click here to see a trailer for the film.  

Visitors will also have the opportunity to visit the ongoing “Generations” exhibit of Two Grey Hills weaving at the museum.   The event is free and is open to the public.  Make your plans to be there now; I’ve got my trip planned! 

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

A view of one of the rugs on display at Toadlena's centennial exhibit

Toadlena, NM The Toadlena Trading Post is celebrating 100 years in business with a new exhibit that documents the weaving genealogy of the Bear Clan.  Trading post owner Mark Winter has gathered rugs representing Bear Clan weavers who are in the living memory of the present generation.   Each matriarch and her descendants are documented in detail and many of the rugs are  hung over murals showing the red rocks and turquoise blue skies of the Southwest.  Among the prominent weavers who are descendants of Bear Clan matriarch Sagebrush Hill Woman are Daisy Taugelchee and Julia Jumbo and the exhibit includes panels of both their work.  You can see a composite picture of the panel showing the weaving of Daisy and her close relatives below and you can read the description of the weavings displayed by clicking on the picture at the bottom of the article.

A composite photo of the Toadlena panel depicting the work of Daisy Tauglechee and her close relatives.

The Toadlena Centennial celebration will last until June 20, 2010, so you’ve got time to plan a trip to the trading post to soak of the history of the place to take in the Shash Tso exhibit.  Plan to spend at least two hours and if you can, try to meet trader Mark Winter during your visit.  You’ll never forget your day at Toadlena.

Please click on the picture for a full sized summary of Daisy Taugelchee's panel.

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker

At the Adopt a Native Elder October 2008 Food Run at Sanders, one of the elders asked her daughter to see if  Linda Myers of ANE could get a “carding machine”.   Linda was not sure what the elder wanted and sent weaver Barbara Spelman to ask more questions, and determine what it was the elder was requesting.  After a few more questions , Barb ascertained that it indeed a carding machine (or drum carder) that the elder had seen.  The elder has cataracts and can no longer weave, but wanted to continue to participate in the weaving process by carding and spinning.  Hand carders were difficult for her to use.  Barbara was on the case.

Back in Tucson Barb made a mention to Vicky, owner of Grandmas Spinning Wheel,  local weaving, spinning, and knitting shop that should a used drum carder drop out of the sky,  she was interested.   Lo and behold, Vicky quickly said she was willing to donate the used one she had,  since she had recently purchased a larger one for the shop.   She would trade it for two soft churro fleeces.   Barbara knew that Mary Walker at Weaving in Beauty had some churro fleeces from Monument Valley High School’s Future Farmer’s program and Mary donated two of those to the cause in February.  In early May,  the drum carder was delivered to the elder during the ANE’s spring Sanders food run.  The following picture was taken at the May 2009 Food Run by Adopt a Native Elder photographer John Aldrich.  The elder is unidentified to protect her privacy, but was last seen feeding wool into the carder.

Barbara Spelman, right, with Adopt-A-Native-Elder recipient and her daughter. Photo by John Aldrich

Thanks to Mary Weinzirl for the material for this article and to Barbara Spelman for better giving through barter!

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

Lula Brown came by today with her miniature loom.

Window Rock, AZ Lula and Herman Brown came by this morning to show us one of the small looms that they use to produce the Navajo miniatures that they’re famous for.  The small Tree of Life rug on the loom has an astounding 60 birds.  Lula also brought some of her newly finished rugs to show the students.   Below you can see her showing some of her pieces to Karen Mittleider.

Lula Brown shows some of her miniature rugs to Karen Mittleider.

This afternoon, the Generations rug exhibit opened at the Navajo Nation Museum, a short walk from our classroom.  Mark Winter has spent 20 years documenting the families of weavers in the Two Grey Hills Toadlena area, and he has assembled groups of representative weavings from all of them.  Mark addressed the group gathered for the opening, and his love and respect for the textiles and the weavers who produce them was obvious.  You can see one of the many exhibit panels below.  The exhibit features over 350 examples of Two Grey Hills weaving and will be at the museum for the next few months.

A panel at the Navajo Nation Museum's Generations exhibit.

This evening, the Spider Rock Girls came by to visit and have dinner with the class. Several of the students have purchased rugs from the girls this week, and it was fun to us learn more about how they go about producing their unique designs and how weaving fits into their lives.  One of them, LaVera,is about to graduate as a certified nursing assistant and will be combining her weaving with caring for elderly Navajo nursing home residents in Chinle, Arizona.   You can see LaVera below at the center of the picture.  That’s little sister Alyssa hugging her.  Larissa is at the left.  They’re talking with class participant Karen Mittleider.

Spider Rock Girls Larissa, Alyssa and LaVera Blake discuss weaving with Karen Mittleider

Several of our students are in the finishing stages of their weaving projects.  One of them, Barbara Nicodemus is working on the graphically striking piece below.   It’s a hit with many of our visitors.  Some of the students may finish their pieces tomorow and others hope to be done by Saturday.

Barbara Nicodemus nears completion of her weaving project.

We’re off to Canyon de Chelly tomorrow morning early, so it’s off to bed for me!

Hagoshíí (so long for now)

Mary Walker