Books are treasures, particularly if they can be read and enjoyed multiple times. Horizons—WeavingBetween the Lines with Diné Textiles is one of those special and unique books.
It was published as a compliment to an exhibition at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe. Unlike most books on Navajo weaving, it does not try to tell the history and background of the art form; it is about the weavers and their relationship with the land and the place they call home. It gives voice to several of the Navajo Nation's finest weavers. It creates a synergy with the beautiful photography of Raphael Begay and the unique blending of weaving and photography by Darby Raymond-Overstreet.
While the book includes all the pieces and most written material from the exhibition, it is a stand-alone work of art by Editor Hadley Welch Jensen, who co-curated the exhibition with photographer Raphael Begay. The exhibition was originally the idea of Dr. Jensen, who first approached the board of trustees about bringing an exhibit, Shaped by the Loom, that she curated in New York City, to Sant Fe. They were enthusiastic as it had been some time since there had been a major exhibit of Navajo weaving in New Mexico.
As it turned out, Jensen began to go through the collection in the New Mexico museum and realized there was no need to bring pieces from New York.
She had seen Raphael's work in an exhibition at the Maxwell Museum at the University of New Mexico. She had met Darby, who, through a unique process, overlays images of weaving on photographs of the Navajo Landscape. She and Raphael traveled across the Navajo Nation with a team and captured the land with a Google 360 camera. The exhibit used pieces from the collection and photography and emerged as an impressive integration of Diné art, landscape, and voice.
Jenson described the exhibition as "created by weavers, for weavers."
Horizons, the book, has the same attraction. This work is way above the average catalog for most Museum exhibitions.
If you are looking for a wonderful and unique book on Navajo weaving and the beauty of the Navajo Nation, told through the eyes and lenses of the artists, you won't be disappointed with Horizons—WeavingBetween the Lines with Diné Textiles.