Navajo weavings on display
More than a hundred Navajo weavings were available in a silent auction to benefit the CU Natural History Museum Thursday night at the Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building on the Anschutz Medical Campus.
While the building’s spacious lobby is fitting and aptly named for such an auction, this is the first year the 22nd annual auction was held here.
Jackson Clark II, owner of a textile gallery in Durango, became involved with Navajo textiles as a result of his father’s involvement with the art. Clark II’s father, Jackson Clark, was a good friend of Joe Ben Wheat, the man who the CU Museum of Natural History has to thank for its collection.
“Joe told my dad he needed money for better preservation of textiles 22 years ago,” Clark II said.
The CU Museum of Natural History has benefited from this event every year since then.
Susan Niermeyer, a pediatrician at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center says this auction invites the community onto the medical campus.
“I’m thrilled,” Niermeyer said. “I’ve been coming to this event for 20 years, and now it’s 100 yards from my office.”
Fifth generation Navajo weaver Lynda Teller Pete attended the auction to show her support, although her work was not shown.
“Preserving textiles is a really great thing,” Pete said. “It’s important to preserve all weavings, both contemporary and period.”
Some rugs on display carried with them special meaning. Anita Tsosie, a Navajo woman shot and killed by her husband in April of this year, had several of her textiles on display.
Clark II is adamant that buyers appreciate the art they are purchasing.
“I want weavings to go to people who appreciate it and will take care of it. That’s important,” Clark II said.
Proceeds from the auction benefit preservation of the textile collection showcased through the CU Museum of Natural History.
To see Lynda Teller Pete’s work, visit Navajo Rug and Tapestry Weavers. Jackson Clark II’s Toh-Atin gallery can be viewed at toh-atin.com.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Alyssa Shapiro at alyssa.shapiro@thecampuspress.com.
