Spheres of Inspiration
Colorful Exhibit Weaves Tradition With Function, Beauty and Skill
for the Mesa Southwest Museum“Navajo Saddle Blankets: Textiles
to Ride in the American West,” a display of approximately 35 weavings along with
a saddle, tools for weaving, historic photographs that include images of Navajo
weavers, cowboys on their mounts and the interiors of a trading post and a dude
ranch opened Friday, May 20th at the Mesa Southwest Museum.
Saddle blankets are much more than the name implies. They have
been used for bedrolls, rugs, artwork and as a “cushion” between the horse and
saddle to make a more comfortable ride. Visitors to this unique display will see
the diversity of materials and learn about the evolution of saddle blanket
design, understand the technical aspects of weaving and realize the social and
economic importance of saddle blankets.
Navajo women have been
weaving saddle blankets for about 150 years. They often
raise their own sheep, shear them and wash and card the
resulting wool before spinning and dying the yarn. And after
all that preparation, weaving a blanket could take a month
or longer.
This exhibition was
organized by Lane Coulter, guest curator for the Museum of
Indian Art and Culture, the Museum of New Mexico and
circulated by TREX: the Traveling Exhibitions program of the
Museum of New Mexico and supported by the Museum of New
Mexico Foundation, with additional support from MetLife
Foundation.
“Navajo Saddle Blankets” will run through Sept. 18, 2005.
Arizona’s premier natural history museum, the Mesa Southwest
Museum, explores the Southwest’s history from the time
before the dinosaurs to the present day. See the largest
collection of dinosaur fossils in the state, visit a Spanish
mission, look for the lost Dutchman’s treasure, pan for gold
in the History Courtyard, experience the diversity of
Arizona’s earliest inhabitants, see beautiful examples of
Native American pottery, “star” in a made-in Arizona movie
and much more. Things are always changing in the museum’s
temporary exhibition spaces, which feature exceptional
exhibits on art, culture, history and science from around
the world. The museum, located at 53 N. Macdonald St., in
downtown Mesa, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to
5 p.m., and Sundays 1 to 5 p.m. The museum is closed on
Mondays and all City holidays. Admission is $6 for adults,
$5 for seniors (55+) and students with ID and $3 for
children 3-12. Museum members and children under 3 are free.
Please call the museum at 480.644.2230 or visit our Website
at www.mesasouthwestmuseum.com for more information.
The Mesa Southwest Museum
is a program of the City of Mesa’s Arts and Cultural
Division. For more information, please visit our Web site at
www.mesasouthwestmuseum.com or call (480) 644-5083.
Photos and article courtesy The Mesa Southwest Museum |
