The demise of J. B. Moore is really turning into an interesting topic. Jill Tripp, a friend from Durango brought by the book “Posts and Rugs: The Story of the Navajo Weaving and The Role of The Indian Trader” by H.L James, which was a classic published in 1976. It was reprinted in 2005 with footnotes.

On Saturday and Sunday, June 23 and 24, one of the most unique and fun shows in the country will be held at the Sweeney Center in Santa Fe. It’s not at Indian Show, or a Cowboy Show of an Ethnographic Show. It is everything that has to do with the West.

For several years, Peter quit painting and focused on canvas art, sewing animal figures out of canvas and decorating them with feathers, beads and acrylic paints.

I kept asking him when he was going to start painting again and last year he broke out the easel and reached into his bag of creativity.

When Albert Dreher began painting fine art, following a successful career as a commercial artist, he was looking for something different, something that would make his work unique.

What does it mean to be the “first” to do something? It takes the ability to put your ego on the line and to take a chance with the confidence that it will work out.

Zuni Silversmith Dan Simplicio was one of those people. He lived a short life of 52 years, passing away in 1969. He was the first to use coral in its natural form, the first to set rough cut coral in rings and he introduced the common use of leaf work in Zuni jewelry.

Did you realize that Mesa Verde National Park, between Cortez and Durango, Colorado is the only National Park in the United Stated dedicated to the works of man rather than the works of Nature?

After 13 years Sallie Wagner Lippincott and her husband Bill left the Wide Ruins Trading Post, which they purchased in 1938. They were art collectors and their trips took them to diverse parts of the world, from post-war Japan to Santa Fe.

In 2000, a couple from Scottsdale, Arizona walked into Garland’s Navajo Rugs in Sedona, Arizona, one of the most respected dealers in Navajo Textiles in the country. As they were coming through the front door, a Navajo weaver was making her way out. 

“I stopped and held the door for her,” the man said. “She had a big smile on her face and said thank you. She seemed to be floating on air.

In New Mexico, Nativity Sets, Creche or manger scenes made by Pueblo Indians depicting the birth of Christ, are commonly known as Nacimientos. That is because of the predominantly Hispanic culture in the area and the fact that the Christianization of the Pueblo people was a result of the Spanish settlers. It’s not a real pretty story, but as times evolved, the Catholic faith has become intermingled with the lives of the Pueblo people.

If you have never been to a Gem and Mineral show, don’t pass this one up! It is worth your time with over 500 dealers and some of the most unique things you have seen in your life.

The Chief Blanket, woven by the Navajo Women of the 1800s, was one of the most prestigious possessions a Southwest American Indian could possess. The blankets were simple and elegant in their design, beautifully woven and accented the body of the weaver. 

Maria is deservedly considered the “Potter of San Ildefonso” because of her long and illustrious career and her part in creating the black on black pottery that made her famous. Her polishing technique created the first “gun metal” finish and her legacy is etched in clay.