Bennington Center for the Arts
Bennington, VT
(802) 442-7158
www.VermontArtsCenter.org
Native American Art at Bennington Center
for the Arts
The world is the American Southwest, whose canyons, mesas, and high
deserts have been the home of the Navaho, Hopi, and Zuni peoples for more
than five hundred 
years.
As guests move through the Center's galleries, the bold geometric designs
of Navaho weaving, the graceful forms of Pueblo pottery, and the exotic
Kachina dancers of the Hopi people convey the richness and mystery of their
native cultures. These varied collections are complemented by the Center's
collection of Southwestern landscape paintings, depicting the sacred ancestral
homelands of the artisans; the Grand Canyon and Canyon de Chelly in northern
Arizona, the spires and mesas of Monument Valley, and the pueblo house-cities
of New Mexico.
"We're
very proud of the Navaho weavings," says BCA Gallery Director Elizabeth
Small. "This collection is one of the most comprehensive in the country.
The rugs and blankets come from all regions within the Navaho Nation, and
we have examples of most of the historical patterns and well-known weavers."
Indeed, some of the blankets date to the 1890s, while others were made during
the 1990s. The energy of a desert thunderstorm seems to crackle through
many of the pieces, woven in traditional styles such as "Storm Pattern,"
"Whirling Logs," and "Eye Dazzler."
The Zuni and Hopi pueblos of New Mexico produce the mysteriously,
finely painted pottery, made from the warm orange clay of the Four Corners
region. As Elizabeth Small wonders, "How can such exquisite bowls be
created from earth, powdered stones and yucca brushes in a dung fire?"
The only possible answer is surely, "Practice!" Some of the best
potters, usually women, have been working at their craft for 30 and 40 years,
learned from their mothers and grandmothers before them.
The
Kachina figures, carved in Cottonwood root and other woods and brightly
painted by the Hopi artisan, also transmit a mysterious energy. These supernatural
spirit beings are believed to act as intermediaries, bringing rain, plentiful
harvests, and harmony from the gods to the Hopi people. Dancers impersonate
these beings by taking on the Kachina spirit's mask and costume, and by
performing its unique song; these ceremonies bring the Kachina's blessings
into the Hopi village. Each carved figure depicts one of these dancing spirits,
and is often presented to a Hopi girl by her father or uncle. The BCA's
collection of some 50 Kachinas ranges from the Eagle and Snake Dancers to
the Mud Head Clowns. Whether frightening, graceful, or comical, they show
the variety of emotional connections of the Hopis to their unforgiving and
beautiful land.
The Native American collections are on display at the Bennington
Center for the Arts throughout its Fall exhibition season, which opens September
25 and concludes October 17, 1999. Visiting exhibits of wildlife art, the
paintings of nationally-known women artists, and "plein-air" landscape
painting complement the permanent exhibits.
Images from top to bottom: BCA Gallery, Photo by Hubert Schriebl, Vermont
Magazine; Pottery with Parrot Figure, Acoma Pueblo; Weaving,
Storm Pattern, Navajo Nation; Eagle Dancer Kachina, Hopi Nation
Read more about the Bennington
Center for the Arts in the Resource
Library
Search for more articles
and essays on American art in Resource Library. See America's Distinguished Artists
for biographical information on historic artists.
This page was originally published in 1999 in Resource
Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for
more information.
Copyright 2012 Traditional
Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit
corporation. All rights reserved.
The world is the American Southwest, whose canyons, mesas, and high
deserts have been the home of the Navaho, Hopi, and Zuni peoples for more
than five hundred 
years.
As guests move through the Center's galleries, the bold geometric designs
of Navaho weaving, the graceful forms of Pueblo pottery, and the exotic
Kachina dancers of the Hopi people convey the richness and mystery of their
native cultures. These varied collections are complemented by the Center's
collection of Southwestern landscape paintings, depicting the sacred ancestral
homelands of the artisans; the Grand Canyon and Canyon de Chelly in northern
Arizona, the spires and mesas of Monument Valley, and the pueblo house-cities
of New Mexico.
