On the heels of the Southwest Silverwork exhibition, the Heard Museum has put together another exhibition that showcases another aspect of Native American silver: boxes.

“Through the years, our visitors have had such an interest in silver jewelry and metalwork of the Southwest, so it’s something we exhibit with some frequency,” says Diana Pardue, chief curator of the Heard Museum. The idea for Elegant Vessels: A Century of Southwest Silver Boxes, which is on view now, was first suggested by John Krena, owner of Four Winds Gallery in Pittsburgh.Top: Navajo Box by John Hoxie (Navajo) and Lambert Homer Jr. (Zuni), part of the Druckman Collection and won a ribbon at the 1954 Gallup Ceremonial. Box dimensions are 8 x 5¾ x 3½”. Bottom: Navajo Box with Zuni Inlay Rainbowman with white background by Lambert Homer Jr. (Zuni). Box dimensions are 7½ x 53/8 x 2¾”.

The entire silver box collection photographed at Four Winds Gallery, Pittsburgh, June 2022.

The Heard Museum has a number of silver and copper boxes in its collection, but Krena has been collecting them for a number of years and sent around 170 to the museum. Guest curator and historical metalwork specialist Robert Bauver took that collection and chose around 100 pieces to be featured in the show.

Navajo Metalsmith Jennifer Curtis holds her completed silver box in her Albuquerque, New Mexico, studio in May 2022. Box dimensions are 8¾ x 6 x 43/8”.

“It’s a topic that hasn’t been explored very much,” Pardue says. “It’s one of those unique, little-known art forms within Southwest metalwork. They are so beautifully embellished, and there’s such diversity in the way each individual artist approaches the subject.”

The earliest examples in the exhibition date back to the early 1900s, when the boxes were often small and utilitarian. “Some of the earliest ones were associated with tobacco. There would be tall, flat cases for cigarettes or cigars,” Pardue says. But they evolved to be more decorative, with embellishments like stamp work and inlay and turquoise adornments.

Navajo Metalsmith Jennifer Curtis works on stamping the bezel on the box lid in her studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Elegant Vessels will display boxes from artists like Leo Poblano, Kenneth Begay, Leekya Deyuse, Paul Saufkie and others. Pardue highlights a pair of boxes that each have inlay decoration on top made from shell and stone. One has a white background and the other has a black background. “The combination of the two is so striking, and they have such a great visual impact,” she says. “The inlay work is by artisans from Zuni Pueblo, and the metalwork is by Navajo artists.”

Four boxes by Navajo metalsmith Kenneth Begay. Box dimensions are (top left) 4¾ x 3¾ x 1½”, (bottom left) 45/8 x 31/8 x 1¼”, (top right) 4¾ x 3 x 1¼” and (bottom right) 4½ x 3¾ x 15/8”.

One of the more recent boxes featured in the exhibition was created by Jennifer Curtis. Though she is an experienced silversmith, this was her first silver box, and it was a unique challenge. “I’ve made silver pots before but those are more of a sphere. They only take two or three pieces to make,” she says. “But this had all the sides plus the bottom and the lid. I would have to put it away for a while and work on something else to clear my mind before I could keep working on it.”

The size of the box, which is nearly 9 inches on its longest side, also meant Curtis had to think creatively to get it finished. “My dad made boxes that were even bigger than this one, and he didn’t have the tools I have today,” she says. But the piece didn’t fit in her buffing machine, so she used steel wool and Scotch-Brite to achieve the gleaming finish. “I would call it a traditional finish, but I’m very satisfied with how it turned out.”

Curtis also notes that, as the only woman artist represented in the exhibition, there was an added bit of pressure. “Because of that, I wanted the piece to be outstanding. I wanted it to make a statement,” she says.

Six round cylinders by Navajo metalsmith Thomas Curtis. Box dimensions are (clockwise from bottom left) 9½ x 4½”, 6 x 2¼”, 3 x 2½”, 3¼ x 2½ x 1¾”, 3 x 3”, 6 x 2¼” and 6 x 3¾”.

Pardue says she hopes the exhibition enlightens visitors on the diversity of Native silverwork. “It’s such a little-known art form, and I hope that people who love Southwestern jewelry see these boxes and think more about the silversmiths and artists behind the creations.

Elegant Vessels remains on view at the Heard through March 5, 2023. 

Through March 5, 2023
Elegant Vessels: A Century of Southwest Silver Boxes
Heard Museum
2301 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 252-8840, www.heard.org

Powered by Froala Editor