“Music for Fertility” 1963 by Michael Kabotie [SOLD]

This painting was created by Michael Kabotie (1942-2009) Lomawywesa ("Walking in Harmony") in July of 1963. The decorative composition relies on traditional Hopi symbolism, where the flute player's music encourages the growth of corn while the female figure represents human germination and the growth of the Hopi people. Elements such as the Migration spiral, handprints, snow, rain, and stars serve as ornamental motifs that reflect the fundamental interconnectivity of life, work, and ceremony within Hopi culture.

"Music for Fertility is a decorative composition utilizing the symbols of Hopi life. It was composed during the years when Mike lived away from the mesas. The flute player, through his music, encourages the growth of the corn, and the woman represents human germination and the increase of mankind. All of the symbols, the Migration spiral, the hand print, snow, rain, and stars, have purely ornamental rather than a structural or conceptual value. . . In the Hopi world, all of life is interrelated. Art can never be isolated from daily work or religious celebration and the past can never be isolated from the present or the future. On every level, psychological, historical and aesthetic, the concept of Migration is a fundamental part of Hopi life and art." [Broder, 1978:61]

This painting is published in Hopi Painting: The World of the Hopis by Patricia Janis Broder, 1978. page 61, figure 3-12, and noted that it was from the collection of Hopi Cooperative Arts & Crafts Guild.

This painting is also published in Michael's Journey: The Mystic Art of Michael Kabotie by Brigitte and Dietmar Behnke, Heidelberg, Germany,  2013, page 82, Figure 19, and noted that it was awarded 3rd Scottsdale National Indian Arts Exhibit 1964 Katherine Harvey Memorial Award, 1978.3

About the Artist: Michael Kabotie

Son of celebrated Hopi artist Fred Kabotie, Michael Kabotie was a founding member of Artist Hopid - a groundbreaking collective formed in 1973 alongside Milland Lomakema, Terrance Talaswaima, Neil David Sr., and Delbridge Honanie. The movement revolutionized Hopi visual art by blending traditional symbolism with contemporary modernist and cubist influences. Throughout his prolific career, his work earned prestigious recognition, including awards at the Scottsdale National Indian Arts Exhibit, and was widely published and exhibited internationally, leaving an enduring legacy as an educator and ambassador of Hopi culture. This painting is signed M. Kabotie July '63.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: Displayed in the special exhibit Ancestral Symbols, Modern Masterpieces: Documenting the Sacred Narratives and History of the Hopi People at Adobe Gallery for its 50^th Anniversary Landmark Exhibition in Santa Fe, NM, May – October 2026. This painting by Michael Kabotie "Music for Fertility" 1963 is from the collection of an Adobe Gallery client.

Recommended Reading and Reference:

- Michael's Journey: The Mystic Art of Michael Kabotie by Brigitte and Dietmar Behnke, Heidelberg, Germany,  2013, page 82, Figure 19

- Broder, Patricia Janis. HOPI PAINTING: THE WORLD OF THE HOPIS, Brandywine Press, New York, 1979

TAGS: Michael Kabotie, Delbridge Honanie, Neil David, Sr., Terrance Talaswiama, Milland Lomakema, Tyler Polelonema, Bevins Yuyaheova, Hopi Pueblo, Native American Paintings