Awards given for art, including Navajo weavings, are always subjective. While a Blue Ribbon at the Gallup Ceremonial, the Heard Museum, or Indian Market may be interpreted to mean that the chosen piece was the “best” weaving, there are always people who will disagree.

During the Great Depression, which started 95 years ago, President Roosevelt initiated a new federal program called the Works Project Administration, which provided Federally funded jobs. This included the Federal Art Project.

Alex Sanchez is one of those artists who bridges traditional and contemporary in his jewelry. His work is heavy, and his stamp work is precise. He only uses top-quality stones. That would be enough for Sanchez to stand out among his contemporaries, but he takes the work a step further.

We are proud to announce a new collection in the Gallery, curated by Aline Randle, who loved Durango and spent summers here.

Books are treasures, particularly if they can be read and enjoyed multiple times. Horizons—Weaving Between the Lines with Diné Textiles is one of those special and unique books.

Today, it is common for Pueblo and Navajo artists to paint or carve religious figures, but in the 1930s, it was forbidden.

Gilbert Maxwell, a Farmington, New Mexico trader, wrote the first book I read on Navajo weaving. Not only was he a trader, but he and his wife were avid collectors, and he was constantly searching for more information about the history of Navajo weaving.

Mamie Deschillie lived a unique and interesting life. She was born in a hogan on the Navajo Reservation near Chaco Canyon in 1920 when the primary mode of transportation was wagon or horse.

I met Laverne Barber about 50 years ago. My father had worked with Lavern’s mother, Anna Mae Barber, a long time before that. Anna Mae was the oldest sister in what would become the family that created the Burnham Weaving Area.

Unlike many Navajo weavers of old, Nellie Begay is accomplished at creating multiple styles. She has been a fixture and a ribbon winner at the Santa Fe Indian Market, where she has sold most of her work in recent years.

Jeanette Dale ranks near the top in the Traditional Navajo Silversmiths category. She comes from a family of artists. Her mother, father, and brother were accomplished silversmiths, and another brother, Eugene Joe (Baatsoslani), is arguably the finest sand painter on the Navajo Nation.

One of the real joys of being in this business is meeting new artists, or at least artists you aren’t familiar with. That happened one day this last fall when Bilson Kee came into the gallery and worked with Linda Perala, one of our top associates.