Spectacular selections from the Richard A. Gates Collection of Native Jewelry will be shown at Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West beginning March 3.
Charles Loloma (1921-1991, Hopi), ironwood cuff bracelet, ca. 1975, silver, gold, turquoise, ironwood, lapis lazuli, coral, bone.
Scottsdale, Arizona, has been a center for the creation of innovative Native jewelry since World War II. Gates has donated and loaned pieces to the museum for its first ever exhibition of jewelry. Tricia Loscher, the museum’s assistant museum director of collections, exhibitions and research, writes, “The exhibition includes a dazzling array of cuffs, belts, buckles, necklaces, earrings, rings, pendants and a rare coffee service set. Richard A. Gates’s collecting focus is mainly on Native American artists of the 21st century, especially on new materials and techniques that the jewelers have incorporated into their innovative designs. Some of the renowned artists included in this show are Charles Loloma, Kenneth Begay, Larry Golsh, Jesse Monongya, Richard Chavez, Raymond Yazzie, Charles Suplee, Al Nez, Larry Vasquez, and Carl and Irene Clark.”
Charles Loloma (1921-1991, Hopi), wrist guard/Ketoh, ca. 1960, silver and leather
Charles Loloma (1921-1991, Hopi), Lizard, turquoise, coral and silver
Charles Loloma (Hopi, 1921-1991) and his first wife, Otellie (Hopi, 1921-1993), studied ceramics at Alfred University and opened a shop in Scottsdale in 1954. The following year he began making innovative jewelry and became a great influence on the development of contemporary Native jewelry. He said, “I felt a strong kinship to stones, not just the precious and semi-precious stones I use in my jewelry, but the humble stones I pick up at random while on a hike through the hills or a walk along the beach. I feel the stone and think, not to conquer it, but to help it express itself.”
Irene and Carl Clark (Diné), micro-inlay two-sided cuff bracelet, silver, turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, jet, jade and mother-of-pearl
An example of his innovation is his ironwood cuff bracelet, ca. 1975, which is the first piece of his jewelry to be purchased by his second wife, Georgia. It is composed of silver, gold, turquoise, ironwood, lapis lazuli, coral and bone.
Jesse Monongya (Navajo/Hopi), belt buckle, ca. 1980s, silver, ironwood, turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, gold, fossil ivory, abalone shell, sugilitee
His Lizard, made of turquoise, coral and silver, is 5¼-inches long and has no pin. Loscher believes that it “seems intended as a desk or tabletop sculpture.”
Jesse Monongya (Navajo/Hopi), White Woman Moccasins, necklace with earrings, gold, diamonds, turquoise, coral and other precious stones
Jesse Monongya (Navajo/Hopi) lives in Scottsdale. His bracelet and earrings, White Woman Moccasins, are composed of gold, diamonds, turquoise, coral and other precious stones. He says, “More than just jewelry, I create works of art that are both contemporary and spiritual.”
Opens March 3, 2023
The Richard A. Gates Collection of Native American Jewelry
Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West
3830 N. Marshall Way, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
(480) 686-9539, www.scottsdalemuseumwest.org
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