The Albuquerque art scene traditionally has been overlooked in relation to the attention paid to the Santa Fe and Taos artists of the early 20th century.  The artists of Albuquerque have been a close-held secret by Albuquerque residents because they tended to collect from those artists which prevented their works from being available on the art market.

Carol MCILROY (1924-1999)

Category: Paintings
Origin: European-American Artists
Medium: oil on artist board
Size: 17-1/2" x 23-1/2" image;
25" x 31-1/4" framed
Item # C3719C

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The Navajo artist who made this pin used stamp work as well as soldered pieces of silver to create the effect of a real butterfly. The artist used small floral-shape stamps to create designs on the wings and added a piece of silver to create the mid section of the butterfly at which point he inserted a deep blue turquoise stone. Little round silver balls and silver wire make up the head and antennae.

Origin: Diné - Navajo Nation
Medium: Sterling Silver, Turquoise
Size: 1-1/8" x 1"
Item # 25271

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Helen Maria Hunt Jackson (1830 - 1885) born Helen Fiske

Subject: Southwest Anthropology and History
Item # B00085JDBE
Date Published: 1902
Size: Hardback, 292 pages, Beautiful illustrations

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MARVELS OF THE NEW WEST: A Vivid Portrayal of the Stupendous Marvels in the Vast Wonderland West of The Missouri River

 Six Books in One Volume

Comprising: Marvels of Nature, Marvels of Race, Marvels of Enterprise, Marvels of Mining, Marvels of Stock-Raising, and Marvels

of Agriculture

Graphically and Truthfully Described by William M. Thayer

Illustrated with Over 359 Engravings and Maps

The Henry Bill Publishing Company - Norwich, Conn

1887

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The company completely succeeded in its mission in the manufacture of this pair of chairs.  They embody the simplicity of Mission Oak furniture, they are massively heavy and strong, and they are sturdy and extraordinarily comfortable.  They have endured for over 100 years as evidenced by their inclusion in the company's 1910 catalog.  Each has a paper label attached on which the chair number 688 (rocking chair) and 688-1/2 (straight chair) is marked.

Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair Company

• Category: Mission Oak Furniture
• Origin: Arts and Crafts Movement
• Medium: Quarter Sawn Oak, Leather
• Size: 32" height x 22" width - PAIR
• Item # 24913

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As usual, Brian Honyouti, from Hopi Pueblo, has presented this doll as a one-piece carving, with the hand-held items and possibly the pair of feathers on the head being added.  Brian is one of the best carvers on the reservation and has been for several decades.  This is an excellent example of his very fine carving of a doll in a smaller scale.

Brian Honyouti (1947- )

• Category: Traditional
• Origin: Hopi Pueblo
• Medium: wood, oil stains
• Size: 6-3/4" tall
• Item # C3627H

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This Katsina Doll carving by Kevin Pochoema was completed in 1994, at which time we sold it to the current owner.  It is an all-wood carving with oil base stains highlights.  Kevin illustrated in this Hopi Pueblo doll, completed over 20 years ago, his early ability to carve dolls of great motion with expressive features and flowing hair.  This is an excellent carving in every respect.

Kevin Pochoema (1965- )

• Category: Traditional
• Origin: Hopi Pueblo
• Medium: wood, oil stains
• Size: 7-5/8" maximum height
• Item # C3627B

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This small version of Soyok Wuhti, the dreaded Ogre Woman of Hopi, was carved by Lester Quanimptewa in 1997, at which time we purchased it from the artist.  It is an all-wood single piece carving with the exception of the lone feather on the head and the items in her hands.  The artist achieved an amazing amount of detail in such a small figure.  The katsina stands 3-3/4” tall and the pedestal is another 2 inches.

Lester Quanimptewa (1962- )

• Category: Traditional
• Origin: Hopi Pueblo
• Medium: wood, oil stains
• Size: 5-3/4” Tall
• Item # C3627C

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The Zuni Shalako ceremony, held every year in late November or early December, draws an audience of mixed variety-many Navajo Indians, Pueblo Indians, Hispanic New Mexicans, and Euro-American tourists flock to the all-day and all-night event.  It is not unusual then to see parts of the ceremony painted by Navajo and Pueblo artists who have witnessed the event in person.

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Southwest Indian Pottery vessels of this shape have been designated engagement baskets. They are a 20^th-century development, having first appeared in the 1960s. The twisted handle is a symbolic representation of the bond that ties the couple together.  It is not known who made the first one.

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This is the largest and finest Southwest Indian Pottery Jar by Carmelita Dunlap that I recall ever seeing.  It is massive in size and beautifully made and designed.  The design is confined to the mid-body and consists of rectangular panels, each of which contains a unique design.  The jar is beautifully thin-walled.

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Most collectors are aware that Jennie Trammel made fewer pottery items than any of the other daughters of Margaret Tafoya.  She had a full-time job away from Santa Clara Pueblo and had little time for making Southwest Indian Pottery.  Interestingly, she was absolutely a phenomenal potter and produced the most beautiful carved wares of the 20th century.

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Dorothy Torivio was the most progressive artisan at Acoma Pueblo since as early as the 1980s. She was born at Acoma Pueblo and is renowned for her innovative work in exaggerated seed-pot forms in large and miniature sizes. She painted her hand-coiled and outdoor-fired pots with black and white or polychrome patterns of staggering intricacy, painted fresh, and with computer-like precision.

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Grace T. Chino was an exceptional potter. Her vessels were formed with consistent wall thickness and her designs were tailored to fit the shape of the vessel. She was a daughter of Marie Z. Chino.  She was a consistent ribbon winner at Santa Fe Indian Market from 1980 through 1993.  She was one of the artists featured in Seven Families in Pueblo Pottery exhibit at the Maxwell Museum in Albuquerque in 1979 and also in One Space, Three Visions exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum.

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Carl Von Hassler was fond of painting villages and landscapes in and around New Mexico. He moved to New Mexico in the early 1920s and established his studio in Albuquerque's Old Town. For 47 years, he painted New Mexico scenes and became an Albuquerque legend. Almost everyone living in Albuquerque in the 1920s through the 1960s knew him and had a story they could relate about him.

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The Splendid Heritage catalog of American Indian artifacts represents the commitment of American collectors to share the beauty and significance of hundreds of ethnographic treasures with a worldwide audience. Originally exhibited as the Akicita Collection at the Southwest Museum and as Splendid Heritage at the Wheelwright and Eiteljorg Museums, the expanded collection of artifacts was on display at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts from February 10, 2009 to January 3, 2010.

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The Anasazi are the ancient ones, the ones who preceded the contemporary pueblo peoples. At an Anasazi ruin in Utah in 1960, archaeologists unearthed a burial of a female who had passed away around circa 1100. Around the neck of the remains was a beautiful turquoise necklace. Necklaces such as this are still the most favored among the Pueblo people of today.

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Jaclas, which means ear strings, were originally made to be worn as earrings. Later, they became an addition to what is considered to be the most traditional form of pueblo necklace-a turquoise nugget necklace. These were made and worn long before the art of working in silver was taught to the Natives. Each cylinder of turquoise was cut from a larger piece, in square form, drilled through the center, strung on string, and then sanded to circular shape. By doing this, each bead would be the same diameter or graduated diameter per the wishes of the artisan.

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The original location of Santa Ana Pueblo was close to Zia Pueblo and pottery from the two villages was quite similar in materials, technique and construction.  In the mid-1700s, the pueblo acquired land near Bernalillo, just north of Albuquerque, for better farming.  This change in location effected a change in pottery as well.

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Rachel Medina claims dual relationship to Zia, her native pueblo, and Santa Ana Pueblo, where she has lived.  She is a daughter of Sofia and Rafael Medina, granddaughter of Juanita Toribio Pino, and great-granddaughter of Rosalea Medina Toribio.  Her brother is Marcellus Medina. 

Rachel's mother, Sofia, taught her the techniques of Zia pottery and Eudora Montoyaof Santa Ana taught her the techniques of Santa Ana pottery.  In addition to making pottery of the styles of both pueblos, Rachel acquired a Nursing degree from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales. 

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