Grace Chapella was born in the Tewa village of Hano at First Mesa on the Hopi Reservation in 1874, eight years before the Reservation was established as such, and before Custer's Last Stand at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.  She witnessed the first "horseless carriage" arrive on the Reservation and recalled how frightening it was.  In 1927, she became the first person from the Hopi Reservation to fly in an airplane, going from Grand Canyon to Long Beach for a pottery demonstration.

Would you like to know more? 

Navajo artist Robert Draper was the child of a Navajo mother and a Hopi-Laguna father.  Raised by his grandparents on the Navajo Reservation, he attended-and eventually became an instructor at- the Chinle Boarding School.  He was also educated at the Inter-Mountain Indian School in Utah and the Institute of America Indian Arts in Santa Fe.  Draper mostly painted realistic landscapes, focusing on everyday life on the Navajo Reservation.

Would you like to know more? 

Art appraisals are an important part of assessing value for an artwork. This is needed for selling art, donating art, and for some tax and financial purposes. Due to the shifting nature of the market, it’s best to appraise art every 2-5 years. There are several factors to consider when hiring an art appraiser. An improper or biased evaluation could misrepresent the overall value of the piece and could negatively affect future resell. By taking the time to find the proper appraiser, collectors can better maintain their investments.

Hiring an Appraiser.

At the end of the nineteenth century, very few tourists had ever seen the Hopi Snake Dance; however, many had heard tales of a dramatic ritual that only occurred every other year in isolated Indian villages in Arizona. This religious ceremony that Victorian society found so horrifying-and so fascinating-soon grew into a symbolic representation of "Indian Country" in the Southwest. The Passenger Department of the Santa Fe Railway played upon sensationalist, tourist visions of American Indians when it published Walter Hough's travel guide The Moki Snake Dance.  It was described as A popular account of that unparalleled dramatic pagan ceremony of the Pueblo Indians of Tusayan, Arizona, with incidental mention of their life and customs.

Would you like to know more? 

Iris Youvella Nampeyo (1944 -) is known for her sculptural design pottery that she has mastered to the finest detail.  This style of sculpture was first made by Elizabeth White (Polingaysi) and further refined by her nephew Al Colton (Qöyawayma).  Colton has evolved from the simple corn design to carving cliff dwellings on his pottery.  

Would you like to know more?

Lucy M. Lewis continued throughout her life to make pottery in the traditional way; digging and preparing clay, grinding potshards for temper; coiling the clay into a vessel shape, making her paints from plant and mineral elements, and firing the finished vessels in an open outdoor handmade kiln.

Would you like to know more? 

Frank Applegate conducted classes in the Hopi villages in 1922 at the request of the Indian Commission. It is quite possible that he re-introduced this shape to the Hopi potters at that time. The shape does have precedence from prehistoric times.

Recent studies of excavated prehistoric sites at Chaco Canyon have revealed specimens of cylindrical jars. Anthropologist Patricia Crown, from the University of New Mexico, and a colleague from the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition, analyzed potsherds and found traces of a compound of cacao. From their research, they concluded that the cylindrical jars were used to hold chocolate in beverage form. Only a couple hundred complete jars have been found and most of them came from Pueblo Bonito, but many shards that would fit a cylindrical jar shape have been unearthed.

Would you like to know more?

Tony Da was first a painter before becoming a potter.  He began using casein paints in the 1950s and painted until he apprenticed to his grandmother, Maria Martinez, in the late 1960s.  After 1972, he did very little painting and became a famous potter. Tony was enchanted with the art of the Mimbres Indians of New Mexico and many of his paintings reflect that interest.

Would you like to know more?

Whimsical, charming and delightful are just a few adjectives that could be used to describe this 10-piece nacimiento. Margaret and Luther Gutierrez were the children of Lela and Van Gutierrez, who continued the distinctive family style of making pottery using a variety of colors including red, tan, gold, blue, black, white and green pigments, all obtained from natural sources.  It is only natural that they would have created a nacimiento because the family has long been known for the creation of figurines.

Would you like to know more? 

The Zuni Shulawitsi Katsina is almost an exact duplicate of the Hopi Kokosori, but he is not related to Kokosori.  A young boy who is innocent and pure of heart usually performs him. He carries a fire stick, signifying his responsibility as caretaker of one of the important physical elements of the universe: fire. He is responsible for lighting fires before the Shalako ceremony prior to the winter solstice. The lighting of these fires is the signal for the Shalako to begin their ritual.

The Fire God is the black Katsina with colorful polka dots.  I do not know the name of the assistant.  The detail achieved by Kai-Sa is well beyond most paintings of this style.  Each polka dot is precise.  The skin tone of the assistant is smooth and evenly applied.  This is certainly among the finest paintings by Kai-Sa

Would you like to know more?

Toni Roller has always been a very traditionalist potter, following the strictest meaning of the word.  She uses only traditional designs taught her by her mother, Margaret Tafoya.  She also uses only traditional materials and firing techniques.  This jar was constructed using coils and burnished with polishing stones.  The design consists of four bear paw impressions near the rim.

The burnishing of the entire Large Globular Black Bear Paw Jar is most exceptional and flawless.  The firing produced a beautiful even black coloration. The jar is signed with the artist's name, pueblo name and is dated March 1997.

Would you like to know more?

Tesuque Pueblo painter Tim Vigil passed away in 1972, but his age is not known at that time.  He was the son of Thomas Vigil (c1889-1960), one of the earliest 20th century Pueblo painters, and the brother of Paul Vigil.  Tim was not a prolific painter as he was employed full-time at Los Alamos National Laboratory. 

Would you like to know more?

Hopi artisan Jason Takala has been an active jeweler since 1966.  He is the nephew of Bernard Dawahoya and lives in the village of Shungopavi at Second Mesa. His favorite design is the Man-in-the-Maze, one of the most difficult because of the closeness of the cut-out design, a feat he does by hand.  His more recent works are executed in both silver and gold

Would you like to know more? 

Navajo artisan Boyd Tsosie attended the Navajo Community College and studied under the tutelage of Kenneth Begay.  He is considered a maker of fashion jewelry, departing from traditional styles of Navajo jewelry.  He is an innovative designer and craftsman.

His jewelry creations were featured in "The New Look in Indian Jewelry" in Arizona Highways, April 1979.  He was also included in the exhibit "Jewels of the Southwest" at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe.

Would you like to know more?

As published by Richard Spivey, Maria and Julian began producing plain polished black pottery around 1912 and Black-on-black pottery around 1919-1920. Julian continued to paint Maria's pottery until his untimely death in 1943. It was around 1925 that Julian's name began to appear alongside Maria's on their pottery. So, we see that there is only a period of about 18 years when the co-signed pottery was made. 

Would you like toi know more?

Bernard Dawahoya (b.1935-) Masqueva - Little Sun learned to make jewelry from his uncles, Washington Talayumptewa & Sidney Sekakuku.  Bernard recalled that he was about 15 years old when he was working at his Uncle Sidney Sekakuku's sheep camp and was caught playing with his jewelry-making tools, so his uncle began teaching Bernard jewelry making at that time.

Would you like to know more? 

The painting is entitled "The Zuni Rain God" and is signed M. Sandy and dated 1977.  It shows the Rain Priest with a medicine basket that holds a wrapped bundle with many colorful feathers.  He is heading toward the religious shrine.  Interestingly he is dressed in traditional Native clothing-the pants with the split up the side are traditional Hopi and Zuni cotton trousers that were made from hand woven cotton. 

Would you like to know more?

Garnet Pavatea (1915-1981) Flower Girl was a long-time entrant in the craft exhibit and won many awards by doing so.  She also seemed to be a favorite of the Museum of Northern Arizona.  She was often a demonstrator at the Craftsman Exhibition.  For a number of years, Adobe Gallery had a standing order from the Museum of Northern Arizona for any Garnet Pavatea pottery available.

This large stone-polished red wedding vessel has a beautiful, smooth, highly-burnished finish.  It is completely devoid of painted designs. She extended the polishing down into the interior of the vessel, a step that was not necessary but that demonstrates her attention to detail.

Would you like to know more?

Alma Loretto Concha (1941 - ) was originally from Jemez Pueblo but moved to Taos Pueblo when she married.  At the time that she made this nacimiento, in 1978, she was a resident of Taos Pueblo.  This set includes the Holy Family, Three Kings with their gifts of corn, bread and chile, four animals and an angel.

Would you like to know more? 

Frank Applegate conducted classes in the Hopi villages in 1922 at the request of the Indian Commission. It is quite possible that he re-introduced this shape to the Hopi potters at that time. The shape does have precedence from prehistoric times.

Recent studies of excavated prehistoric sites at Chaco Canyon have revealed specimens of cylindrical jars. Anthropologist Patricia Crown, from the University of New Mexico, and a colleague from the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition, analyzed potsherds and found traces of a compound of cacao. From their research, they concluded that the cylindrical jars were used to hold chocolate in beverage form. Only a couple hundred complete jars have been found and most of them came from Pueblo Bonito, but many shards that would fit a cylindrical jar shape have been unearthed.

Would you like to know more?