Weaving
News
See previous issues of the news
starting with
December, 2005 on our blog.
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Arizona State Museum Exhibit Goes
Online
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We
hope to see you at Sheep is Life (photo
by Mary Walker)
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Tsaile,
AZ Dine
be' iiná, Inc. (The Navajo Lifeway)
is planning to hold a one day Sheep is Life Celebration and Rug Auction
on
Saturday, August 19th at Diné College in Tsaile, AZ.
This event
typically features wool and sheep products from small churro flocks.
As we receive more information on this event, we
will update this
item. The Dine
be' iiná Board is meeting to approve the schedule, so
consider
this information as tentative until you confirm with them or until this
article is revised.
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Auction
News
Friends of
Hubbell Native Arts Auction
Ganado, AZ
The Friends of Hubbell Native Arts Auction set a record for payouts to
Navajo and other Native American artists at the auction held at the
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site on May 6, 2006.
Many
weavers attended this event to socialize with friends and Navajo
weaving afficianados as well.
This event featured over 500 rugs, katsinas and other works of art.
The array of artworks is truly impressive. Artists
bring in
pieces to consign nearly up to the time the auction starts at noon.
The bidding goes on for five to six hours and the last few
items
are frequently sold in the fading light of a Ganado sunset.
Bidders come from all over the world and there were even a
couple
tour buses in the parking lot.
The auction allows weavers and other artists to sell their
work at a
good price, see what other artists are doing and how various
types of art work are received. Pieces range from $10 to
$10,000
and the artist receives 90% of the purchase price. Purchasers
pay
a 10% buyer's premium, and the Friends of Hubbell accept cash, checks
and credit cards as payment (no live animals though).
If you're disappointed that you missed the May event, cheer up because
there will be another auction on August 26. As with the May
event, the preview will start at 9 AM and the auction will start at
noon will last until all items have been presented. Ganado
is 38
miles north of I-40 on route 191. The nearest lodging is in
Window Rock, AZ. Check out the
Friends of Hubbell site for
more information.
We hope to see you at the auction!
As you drive
to the
auction, you may enjoy singing along with Weaving in Beauty Tour
alumnus Barbara Spelman's song to the tune of Hello Muddah, Hello
Faddah that starts
"Hello Hubbell, Hello Hubbell!
This is
where we got in trouble!
Please be
careful with your bidding,
When they
say SOLD, they're not kidding."
Barbara memorialized the whole class in the rest of the song.
We'll add a link for the complete opus as soon as possible!
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Ericka
Scott of Scottsdale, AZ previews a handspun and handcarded
saddleblanket at the May 6, Friends of Hubbell Auction.
(photo by
Mary Walker)
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Smoki Museum Auction
Prescott, AZ
The two
day July 28-29 Smoki Auction drew a large number of bidders to the
Arizona pioneer town of Prescott, about 90 miles northwest of
Phoenix. The Friday auction featured pottery,
baskets,
paintings and Western collectibles. Saturday's auction was
devoted to rugs and textiles and over 300 lots were presented.
There were many vintage rugs in wonderful condition and the
Rose
Yazzie-Emily Malone family presented several large fine quality new
rugs and attended the auction in person. The variety of
weavings
presented made this an exciting auction to attend. One of the
day's many highlights was the sale of a Daisy Tauglechee tapestry.
Daisy is considered the finest weaver of the 20th century and
her
Two Grey Hills weavings are highly sought after (see picture at right).
Daisy handcarded and spun both the warp and weft yarns for
this
piece and the weft count is will over 100 rows per inch.
Prescott trader Jeff Ogg logs many hours of preparation time to receive
and appraise pieces consigned for this auction and collectors certainly
appreciated his efforts. Next year's auction dates will appear on the
Events page as soon as they are announed. |
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Milestones
Ganado, AZ Grace
Henderson Nez,
a noted weaver, passed away on July 14 in Flagstaff, AZ at the age of
93. Grace was born to the Coyote Pass People (her maternal
clan)
and born for the Start of the Red Streak People (her paternal clan) in
Kinlichee, AZ in 1918. Grace learned to weave as a girl, and
was
an excellent and prolific weaver who was featured in many publications.
Grace demonstrated weaving for many years at the Hubbell
Trading
Post National Historic Site. In 2005, she was honored by the
National Endowment for the Arts as a National Heritage Lifetime Honors
Fellow. Grace is survived by her sons David H. Begay, Harry
H.
Begay, daughter Mary Henderson Begay (also a noted weaver), her sister
Olive Hubbard, 20 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and eight
great-great-grandchildren. Grace was a great weaver and
teacher.
Jennie Slick and I were honored by a visit from Grace when we
were teaching a class in Window Rock. She inspected each
student's weaving and told us in Navajo "This is good; you're teaching
them the right way". In her honor, we will continue to do
that as
long as we are able.
Shiprock,
NM Leo Natani, husband of weaver Sarah
Natani and father of TahNiiBaa
Naataanii,
passed away on July 9. Leo was a highly respected elder and
served on the Navajo Tribal Council. He also worked as a
Peacemaker Liaison for the Shiprock Judicial District Court and as a
Traditional Consultant for the Northern Navajo Health Center.
Leo
was noted for his passionate devotion to the preservation of
Diné Bizaad (the Navajo language) and culture.
Please see
the Ashtł'o
Guild Newsletter for an eloquent tribute to Leo.
Powhatan, VA Louise
Lowenthal,
a member of the first Weaving in Beauty class held in the Window Rock
area, passed away on March 16, 2006. Lou is survived by her
husband, Joe. Lou loved the beauty and elegance of Navajo
weaving
techniques, and it was a privilege for Jennie Slick and I to show Lou
and Joe the Navajo homeland. Lou especially enjoyed our trip
to
the Crownpoint rug auction and, like so many of our wonderful students,
she was kept in touch with us over the years. Lou was a
person
who didn't wait for a distant someday to do the things she wanted to
do, and we're glad that we were part of her life.
Update Notes:
We're sorry for the long delay in getting updates done. Your
webmaster (Mary) had to make three hasty trips between April and June
due to illnesses and deaths in her family. That's behind us
now,
and things are getting back to normal, and even better, since Mary is
working on Weaving in Beauty full time. Look for our normal
irregular, but nearly monthly, update schedule to resume as of
now. |
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Please drop us a line.
