Barton Wright, Southwest Author

Barton Allen Wright (1920-2011) A veteran, artist, and scholar, Barton Allen Wright dedicated his life to the preservation of Southwestern heritage. After serving in the Pacific during WWII, Wright became a pillar of the Arizona museum community. Over a career spanning six decades, he served as a curator and administrator for the Museum of Northern Arizona and the San Diego Museum of Man.

Known for his vast knowledge of Hopi culture and his talent as a graphic artist, Wright illustrated much of his own groundbreaking research. Whether navigating the Colorado River as a licensed pilot or documenting the intricate details of kachina history, Barton lived with a deep reverence for the land and people of Arizona. He is remembered as a man who perfectly blended the precision of science with the soul of an artist.

Barton Wright has been a noted authority on Pueblo Katsina culture for decades and has authored many articles and books on Katsinas and related subjects.  His books include:

Clowns of the Hopi: Traditional Keepers and Delight Makers, 2004

Kachinas: A Hopi Artist’s Documentary with paintings by Hopi artist Clifford Bahnimptewa, 1973

Classic Hopi and Zuni Kachina Figures, 2006

Hopi Kachinas: the Complete Guide to Collecting Kachina Dolls,1977

Kachinas of the Zuni with paintings by Duane Dishta, 1985

Hallmarks of the Southwest, 1989

The Unchanging Hopi: an Artist’s Interpretation in Scratchboard Drawings and Text, 1975

Pueblo Shields from the Fred Harvey Fine Arts Collection, 1976

Hopi Material Culture: Artifacts Gathered by H. R. Voth in the Fred Harvey Collection, 1979.