Thunderbird Jewelry
of Santo Domingo Pueblo

For hundreds of years craftspeople at Santo Domingo Pueblo (now known by its traditional name, Kewa) were known for exquisite shell, turquoise, and jet jewelry that they made and traded throughout the Southwest. But by the 1920s these traditional materials were scarce. Motivated by circumstance, jewelers at Santo Domingo discovered an exciting new medium: abandoned automobile battery casings.
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The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian offers unique exhibitions of contemporary and historic Native American art. We’re famous for our focus on little-known genres, and for solo shows by living Native American artists. We originate every exhibition, bringing you new research, fresh perspectives, and a richness of visual expression you won’t see anywhere else.

Our museum shop, the Case Trading Post, features the best in contemporary craft and fine arts by more than 200 Native American artists, as well as a great selection of vintage and antique jewelry, ceramics, and textiles.

The Wheelwright is open seven days a week, and admission is free.

Celebrating over 70 years as New Mexico’s oldest, independent, non-profit museum!

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Thank you Wheelwright friends, fans, & members! Your donations of unwanted jewelry have been given a brave new look through the skill, creativity and dedication of regional jewelers.

Tonight, Friday October 28, 2011 from 5-7 PM, Radical Jewelry Makeover opens at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.
 
Since Sunday more than 60 regional jewelers both student and professional have been transforming over 150 donations of unwanted jewelry into new, fresh pieces. The creative works will be on view and on sale at the Wheelwright through November 27, but tonight you can join the jewelers themselves in celebration of a very busy week and see what they have done with our community’s old jewels.
(more info)
 
Participating jewelers include students at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe Community College, Poeh Arts Center, New Mexico State University – Las Cruces and University of Texas – El Paso as well as professional jewelers and artists from the regional community including Kenneth Johnson, Rose B. Simpson, Carla Pennie, David Gaussoin, Connie Tsosie Gaussoin, Helen Chantler and many others.
 
Radical Jewelry Makeover has been traveling nationally and internationally to communities since 2007 educating jewelers of all levels about mining and material sourcing issues involved in jewelry making through a fun, fast paced, week-long project. It is a traveling community mining and recycling project that uses donated jewelry to create an alternative to mining and manufactured jewelry. The project encourages consideration of the social and environmental impacts of mining and jewelry production.