Many Beautiful Colors
Jewelry by Native American Artists
November 11, 2001 - April 28, 2002

Works from the Wheelwright's permanent collection are displayed with pieces loaned by other museums and private collectors. More than 100 pieces document 30 years of this ever-evolving art form. Among the nearly 50 artists in the show are Mike Bird (San Juan Pueblo), McKee Platero (Navajo), Perry Shorty (Navajo), Verma Nequatewa (Hopi), Richard Chavez (San Felipe Pueblo), and Phil Loretto (Jemez Pueblo).

Jewelry has had a rich and varied history in the cultures and economies of southwestern peoples. Jewelry design has often been inspired by textiles and pottery. Today contemporary life ö in the form of automobiles, airplanes, road signs, and other imagery ö is a conspicuous influence. Artists have experimented with unusual techniques to create a startling range of styles, often blending them harmoniously with ancestral methods and patterns.

Early innovator Charles Loloma (Hopi) created bracelets set with multiple stones at different levels to recreate the contours of the southwestern terrain. Kenneth Begay (Navajo) broke new ground in the 1940s with a style of jewelry which restored the classic Navajo balance between metal and stone. Contemporary masters Gail Bird (Santo Domingo/Laguna) and Yazzie Johnson (Navajo) are best known for their thematic concha belts, which include such clever and amusing depictions as Slippery When Wet.

Navajo Spoons
Contemporary Tableware and Silversmithing
In the Slater Gallery, November 11, 2001- January 13, 2002

A display of silver tableware includes pieces from the Carl Lewis Druckman Collection, a collection of Navajo silver spoons. Made between 1880 and 1940, the collection includes some of the earliest Navajo responses to the fad for souvenir spoons, which swept the nation in the late 19th century. With these are shown marvelous contemporary utensils and vessels by several artists, including the Navajo smiths Edison Cummings and Linda Lou Metoxen.

"Navajo silverwork came of age at the moment when railroad travel to the Southwest brought artisans and traders into the American marketplace. The Victorian love of cutlery, and the nation's obsession with commemorative silver merged in the intriguing artistry of Navajo spoons. From the 1880's to World War II, Navajo smiths brought the highest level of skill and invention to functional teaspoons, servers, and sugar shells. At the same time, the spoons were the canvas for ethnic art. An utterly unique artform, these artifacts are now ardently sought by collectors and institutions, as rare mementos of Navajo artistry and the souvenir trade."
— Excerpt from Navajo Spoons: Indian Artistry and the Souvenir Trade by Cindra Kline.

Conchas, Ketohs, and Bridles
January 20 - April 14, 2002

Pieces from the Wheelwright Museum's collection of concha belts, ketohs, and bridles dating from 1880s ö present, demonstrating superb examples of the silversmiths' craft.

Zuni Jewelry
In the Information Center

Jewelry from a private collection of mostly mosaic and inlay work by many Zuni artists including Leekya Deyuse, Dan Simplicio and David Tsikewa.

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