Unrecorded Navajo artist
Outfit
1949-1953
sewn velvet blouse with silver studs, silver dimes ; sewn rayon skirt with probably linen waistband ; leather belt, silver with inlaid turquoise, cloth, wool ; woven wool sash ; silver brooch with inlaid turquoise ; sewn leather moccasin boots with rawhide, silver button, metal
Gift of Mrs. Dorothy J. Young
1998.10.1
About the Artist
Unrecorded Navajo artist
Historic or customary items (such as the ones in this exhibition) were separated from their original makers and communities, resulting in a difficult, challenging history of collecting and exhibiting Native art. An unintended anonymity within Native art has occurred because the names of artists were not recorded at the time their art was collected. Past anthropologists and collectors were more interested in acquiring the items; the artists’ names were not a priority for them. Despite this error in judgement, these artists were known by his/her/their community. We acknowledge this relationship in our text labels that read “unrecorded artist of”.
Back to Artwork Details