Navajo Textile Masterworks

Image: Navajo Nation, Late Classic Serape. Indigo-dyed blue handspun and cochineal (beetle)-dyed crimson raveled and re-spun yarns, about 1860-75. On Loan from the Crane American Indian Collection at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

As part of its program to more inclusively and holistically represent a variety of cultural perspectives and traditions, the Toledo Museum of Art has been expanding its collection of art made by indigenous peoples throughout the world, with a particular focus on Native American art. To acknowledge this growing area of the collection, the Museum installed a gallery dedicated to Native American art in 2018. The current exhibition in the gallery, its second - Expanded Views II: Native American Art in Focus - continues its intention of positioning Native American art as a fundamental area of a reimagined American art history. The exhibition is open until 6 December 2020, subject to local restrictions.

Image: Navajo Nation, Eyedazzler Rug. Handspun warp and weft yarns, four-ply Germantown yarn in end cords, about 1890-1910. On Loan from the Crane American Indian Collection at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Highlights of the installation include a rotating selection of Navajo textile masterworks, on special loan from the Crane Collection at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. These works have been selected for their incredible beauty, exquisite craftsmanship, and ability to powerfully demonstrate the importance of Navajo textiles as a significant art tradition that warrants inclusion in a broadened understanding of what constitutes American art. Other highlights include a woven basket, a beaded bag, and pottery as well as several works of art from the previous installation (Expanded Views I), including a large-scale work by artist James Lavadour.

Image: Navajo Nation, Third-Phase Chief Blanket. Handspun and raveled wool yarns, about 1880. On Loan from the Crane American Indian Collection at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

The Museum’s collection of Native American art—both historical and contemporary—has grown in number and quality in the past five years. Continued expansion of this area of the collection is anticipated in the years to come.