Every year the Heard Museum selects the artwork of one artist to feature on its merchandise and advertising. In many ways, that piece of art ends up becoming the face of the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, appearing on promotional posters and t-shirts that are then worn by attendees moving throughout the market.
Venancio Aragon (Navajo), Prism of Emotions, Merino wool and Angora goat hair with natural and synthetic dyes, approx. 48 x 54"
This year, the design of Navajo weaver Venancio Aragon’s rug, Prism of Emotions, decorates the Heard Indian Market merchandise. A vivid, eye-catching piece, the intricate weaving mimics the appearance of a prism, with “refracted light” that reflects the entire color spectrum. “The piece Prism of Emotions was created after several years of experimentation in color theory. I worked on several smaller pieces in order to develop a new and unique technique of combining color and geometry,” says Aragon. His experiments ultimately resulted in a textile that contains more than 65 colors of wool and bold geometric designs.
“My goal in weaving Prism of Emotions was to create a piece of art that utilized my people’s ancient textile traditions and my own experiences as a modern Indigenous person. It wasn’t until after the textile was completed that I realized the emotional properties the piece conveys to the viewer,” he says. “The saturation of color and geometry that came from my thoughts provides a window into my own journey as an artist.”
The weaving won second place in the contemporary weaving and textiles category as well as a Judge’s Choice Award at the Heard Museum’s 2019 competition. The piece was woven on a Navajo up-right tapestry loom utilizing materials like Merino wool and Angora goat hair, as well as natural and synthetic dyes to create the wide range of colors depicted.
Textile artist Venancio Aragon.
“To be selected as the featured artist by the Heard Museum is very humbling and makes me very proud to represent my family’s weaving tradition,” says Aragon. “As a Navajo textile artist my work provides a record not only for the non-Native world but more importantly for my own Diné people yet to come of our contemporary culture and its current vitality.” —
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