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Booth Western Art Museum hosts an exhibition honoring the creativity of six contemporary Navajo artists.
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Booth Western Art Museum hosts an exhibition honoring the creativity of six contemporary Navajo artists.
CARTERSVILLE, GA
Tony Abeyta, Shonto Begay, David Johns, Emmi Whitehorse, Baje Whitethorne Sr. and Larry Yazzie—six Navajo master artists come together for a major exhibition at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. All living artists, these powerhouse names are the foundation of some of the most poignant and important Native American art today, both preserving traditions and pushing boundaries. Opening May 16, Six Navajo Masters: Abeyta, Begay, Johns, Whitehorse, Whitethorne & Yazzie showcases five to seven works from each artist, with some new pieces being created for the show and others that were made decades ago. “It’s exciting in that it’s got elements of a new show and elements of a retrospective at the same time,” says Seth Hopkins, Booth Museum executive director.
The exhibition came into fruition after a museum members’ trip to Sedona, Arizona, conducted by Hopkins, in which the director
met now retired gallery owner Peggy Lanning. Lanning had approached the museum about the possibility of a group show with a number of artists she’d represented over the years, Hopkins says. The two discussed who should be involved, asking the core question: “Who are the leading artists among the Navajo people?” They eventually narrowed it down to these six. These were artists Lanning had fostered relationships with, which aided in the process running as smoothly as possible in terms of communication with the artists and acquisition of artwork. Most important in selecting which artists to include in the show, however, was the quality and diversity of the work, Hopkins says.
For each piece submitted, artists were asked to provide supplementary text, which will be placed next to the artwork for viewers to read and contemplate during the exhibition.
Blue Corn Portal, by Abeyta, opens the door to a portion of the Navajo creation myth. In his description of the oil painting, Abeyta writes, “The Navajo creation myth tells the story of an emergence from the underworld through four worlds. This painting symbolizes the portal which we entered from the mysterious realms of the earth into the world we now live in called the ‘glittering world.’ The birds are now free to fly the rich, deep blue skies, and seeds emerge and grow to nourish the people and all are able to bear witness to the great cosmos and a world complete and pure. This painting describes the moment where all beings emerged and a wondrous sacred world was seen for the very first time.”
“It’s particularly striking and I’m looking forward to seeing it on our walls,” says Hopkins. “[Abeyta] said
that he thought it was a really important piece in his career—kind of a transitional piece [representing him shifting] from one style to another.”
The show is an awesome celebration of vivacity and creative energy in Native American art, from the colorful, stylized works of Whitethorne, Johns and Begay, to Whitehorse’s mesmerizing abstract imagery, to the exquisite sculptures of Yazzie.
“The thing that has become apparent to me as the images and the text came in is the overwhelming spirituality of the exhibit,” says Lisa Wheeler, Booth Museum director of curatorial services. “The color palettes, they’re beautiful, they’re just striking together...when you see it, it just works as a whole.”
One of the goals for the exhibition is to acquire at least one piece of artwork from each artist for the Booth’s permanent collection, Hopkins says. Currently, they have Begay and Whitehorse in the collection, with the possibility of gaining Abeyta’s Blue Corn Portal in the near future.
“I think in terms of contemporary Western art in general, the Native American contributions to that are immeasurable,” says Hopkins. “There might not even be a contemporary Western style were it not for Native American artists.” Visitors to the Booth Museum can explore the cultural connections and stories of Six Navajo Masters through August 4.