When most people get a lousy meal at a restaurant they merely complain. But back in 1870s, Englishman Fred Harvey turned his crummy railroad dining experience into an empire that helped shape the modern restaurant industry, Southwest tourism, and Native American arts. Albeit, Harvey had a little bit more restaurant experience than most. He started | Continue reading...
The late Horace Iule (1901-1978) is one of the most famous Zuni Pueblo silversmiths. His work is featured in numerous books on Native American jewelry and displayed in museums and galleries across the United States. Iule is most well-known for his sand-cast jewelry, particularly crosses and Knifewing designs. The Zuni artist was old-school in his | Continue reading...
From ancient bone amulets to finely crafted squash blossom necklaces so coveted that they are imitated around the world, the history of Native American jewelry is a story of cultural resilience. Archeologists have found evidence of Native American jewelry dating back to the Paleo period of 10,000 BC. For centuries the native people in America | Continue reading...
Many shoppers search online for turquoise from mines they associate with a specific color or pattern. For instance, the Sleeping Beauty mine is most known for its clear sky blue stones and King’s Manassa mine is famous for brilliant greens and golden host stone. But I’ve learned enough about turquoise to be humbled by its | Continue reading...
William Spratling, the man who made Taxco jewelry famous, was an unlikely father of Mexican silver. He wasn’t Mexican, and he had not studied jewelry making. The celebrated jewelry artist grew up in Auburn, Ala. and studied architecture at the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, which later became Auburn University where he would go on to teach. How he came | Continue reading...
No doubt, you’ve seen the dancing hunchback flute-playing stick figure on many an item associated with the American Southwest. To many, Kokopelli is the fun, whimsical character that symbolizes an Earth-friendly free spirit, the type of guy with kind bud and a hacky sack at a music festival. And that’s enough to make his fans | Continue reading...
When my dear friend Jorge Vidal, manager of special projects at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg offered a tour of the museum’s “Jewels of the Imagination” exhibit, I knew I was in for a treat. I just didn’t realize it would be an intoxicating meal. The exhibit features the works of designer Jean Schlumberger | Continue reading...
