In this book, highly detailed and often whimsical pieces are paired with text for the non-specialist. A Guide to American Indian Beadwork of the Southwest explains how the artists are inspired by tradition, history, and the everyday.
The traditional arts of the Southwest are brought together in one volume for the first time. Comprehensive descriptions of Native American and Hispano art are accompanied by full-color photographs of art from museums, galleries, and private collections.
Native Americans of the past told stories using characters such as Kokopelli, Spider Grandmother, and the Warrior Twins. They also relayed the importance of animals and plants in their artwork. Read about them in this guidebook.
This eBook is best viewed on a color device. North American Indian Arts is a fascinating introduction to the arts and crafts reflected in the material culture of North American Indians. Knowledge of the skills and techniques developed by the various Native American tribes, and the fine materials produced provides a key to understanding the rich diversity of native cultures. Packed with information and authentic full-color illustrations, this handsome guide will be welcomed by everyone interested in American cultural history.
A guide to identifying the traditional craft objects and designs of the Indian tribes of the American Southwest, covering jewelry, pottery, basketry, weaving, and carving; with background information on the tribes and their cultural traditions, and advice on visiting tribes on their own lands.
The decorative art of the Indians of the American Southwest has long been recognized as one of the most beautiful art traditions in the primitive world. It demonstrates a technical skill with simple materials, a symbolic richness, and a faculty for creating rich effects by the imaginative use of ornament that are all almost unique. Museums use Pueblo ceramics for display pieces, and modern artists and crafters have turned eagerly to the handwork of prehistoric Indian women for inspiration and working ideas. Mrs. Dorothy Sides, a noted artist and collector, has gathered together and redrawn in black and white nearly 300 examples of the finest authentic Southwestern Indian decoration that she has seen in a lifetime of study. She has not limited her selection to one period or style, however; to make her book as useful as possible, she has selected material ranging from the thirteenth century great geometric art of the Pueblos to the handcrafts carried on by the nomadic and Pueblo peoples of the present. The main emphasis of this volume is on ceramic decoration, and Mrs. Sides includes pieces from the rich archeological sites of Pecos, Sikyatki, the Mimbres, and modern Pueblo pottery from Acoma, Zuni, Cochiti, and the Hopi. She also includes designs and motifs from the basketry of the Apache, Pima, and Papago; beadwork from the Mohave; authentic Zuni masks; Hopi kachina dolls; and sand paintings and blanket designs from the Navajo. This broad coverage of beautiful ornament illustrates many different art styles to fit every situation: geometric designs based upon balanced mirror fields of design, symbolic figures of the thunderbird, and modern stylizations. All is beautiful and imaginative. Any crafter working with ceramics will find this book indispensable as a source of rich, easily used, powerful design; workers in wood, weavers, metal workers, and leather workers will find that it will enlarge their decorative resources considerably. It also offers unusual and eye-catching designs for commercial artists who wish to do work suggesting travel, handcrafts, the Southwest, or the social sciences. Individual drawings are royalty-free and may be reproduced without fee or permission. "Worthy of an honored place in the library of aboriginal American art." — F. H. Hodge, Director, Southwestern Museum.
Beadwork has been steadily gaining popularity among crafters, and no area of the genre garners more interest than the intricate designs of the Apache, Comanche, and Lakota peoples of the American Southwest, who use their designs to relate legends and pass down tribal lore. Here are 15 authentic projects using such traditional stitches as the flat and circular peyote stitches, the Comanche weave, free-form feathering, and more. Each project is accompanied by a rich explanation of how the colors, shapes, and combinations of materials interact to tell a story. Abundant color photographs and illustrations guide the reader through this unique art form.