Third Phase Chief�s Blanket
C. 1890-1910
75.25� x 54.375�
Bruce Museum Collection
68.25.05
Banded Shoulder Blanket
c. 1890-95
84� x 54.5�
Bruce Museum Collection
20973
Navajo Textiles from the Bruce Museum
December 8, 2007 - March 22, 2008
The
exhibition will explore an important period in the history of Navajo
artistry as traditional methods of weaving where replaced by
technological advances and the growth of a commercial interest in
Navajo craft. Ten stunning examples of pieces are on view that were
created during the Transitional Period (1865-1895), when weaving was
increasingly aimed at outside markets and production became focused on
creating rugs rather than blankets. The exhibition is supported by the
Theobald Foundation and the Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition
Fund.
For more than 300 years,
Navajo women have created textiles that combine both traditional
techniques and influences from the changing world around them. The
earliest Navajo weavings took the form of utilitarian Wearing Blankets
and other items of clothing and were usually decorated with simple
bands of stripes. More complex designs -- crosses, diamonds, and zigzag
borders -- also appeared during this Classic Period (1650-1865). In the
late 1800s, Navajo culture experienced a rapid transformation as U.S.
policy forced changes in living conditions, language, clothing, and
many other aspects of life. During the Transitional Period (1865-1895)
weaving was increasingly aimed at outside markets and production became
focused on creating rugs rather than blankets. In addition, newly
available commercial dyes become popular and yielded a variety of
vividly colored textiles.
Beginning in the late 19th
century, Euro-American-owned trading posts on the Navajo reservation
played an important role in the development of Navajo weavings. The Rug
Period (1895 � present) has been typified by distinctive regional
designs that employ specific color schemes and patterns, each
associated with a different trading post. Navajo weavers have continued
to be sensitive to the desires of the Western art market, responding to
the popularity of the reds of the Ganado rugs, the black, white and
brown of Two Gray Hills and the muted earth tones of the Crystal
weavings. An increase in the variety of pictorial patterns aided in
transitioning Navajo weaving into its current phase that includes the
creation of purely decorative wall hangings. Unique in their individual
style and intention, collectively these Navajo weavings offer an
example of the seamless merging of aesthetic consideration and function
into an enduring art form.
When comparing 19th-century
blankets and 20th-century rugs, outward differences in designs and
function are visible. Across the generations, Navajo weavers have
embraced change, remaining flexible to new ideas and materials. The
history of Navajo weaving continues; over the past century, Navajo
weaving has flourished, maintaining its importance as a vital native
art to the present day. Virtually all the 19th- and 20th-century styles
of blankets and rugs are still woven, and new styles continue to
appear.
For more information please visit: The Bruce Museum
-Joanne Molina
Seed Newsvine
