In Arizona, Eddie Basha Jr. needs little introduction for many. The businessman, who ran the Bashas’ grocery store chain, would often appear in his own commercials, smiling as he told viewers about coupons, food deals or innovations in his stores. He was a local celebrity, a gubernatorial candidate and an avid art collector who shared the artwork he purchased with the public. 

Carl and Irene Clark (Navajo (Diné)), Silver bracelet with micro mosaic inlay, ca. 1990, silver, turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, shell and jet, 1½ x 2¾ x 2". Gift of the Basha Family Collection.

 

When Basha died in 2013, his legacy in the art world continued at the grocery chain’s headquarters in Chandler, Arizona. In 2023, the collection was donated to two major Phoenix-area museums: Western paintings and bronzes went to Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West and the Native American artwork went to the Heard Museum. Both museums immediately started planning programming and exhibitions around the Basha Collection materials. 

At the Heard, the Basha legacy continues with Adorned with Memory: Jewelry from the Basha Family Collection of American Indian Art, which opens February 7, just in time for the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. The exhibition will include 41 pieces highlighting the diversity of material donated to the museum from the jewelry category.

Kay Begay Rogers (Navajo (Diné)), Silver link bracelet, ca. 1990s, 2½ x 2½". Gift of the Basha Family Collection.

 

Heard curator Roshii Montaño (Diné) says the exhibition will feature a number of great artists and numerous jewelry-making techniques that may be familiar to Heard visitors. “The jewelers featured embody the heart of the exhibition’s title. The memory of tradition is embedded in the medium through technique, materials and teachings,” Montaño says. “For example, Santo Domingo artists Terry and Joe B. Reano have sustained the tradition of hand-making beads. The process begins with raw materials, such as stone or shell, which are meticulously flattened and then rounded against a rough stone until the beads are balanced across an entire strand. A finished necklace can take months to complete. Similarly, Diné artists Irene and Carl Clark developed their micro-mosaic inlay technique, cutting and grinding minuscule pieces of stone and shell to create elaborate pictorials that fit together perfectly without adhesive—showcasing their decades-long dedication to experimenting with and refining this intricate method.”

Montaño continues: “Adorned with Memory recognizes the diversity of techniques and materials utilized by Native jewelers across the Southwest and beyond. The featured works combine inlay, stamp work, overlay, appliqué, and tufa cast techniques, demonstrating reverence for tradition while continuing to innovate the medium.”

Duane Maktima (Laguna Pueblo/Hopi), Silver cuff bracelet. Gift of the Basha Family Collection.

 

After the Basha Collection was dispersed in 2023, curators and art experts were quick to point out how diverse Eddie Basha’s and his wife Nadine Basha’s tastes in art were during their critical collecting years. The collection was vast, but had a mixture of up-and-coming artists with established veterans. 

Larry Golsh (Pala Mission/Cherokee), 14k gold chain necklace with tufa-cast satellites and charoite pendant, ca. 1980s-1990s, 14½ x 2". Gift of the Basha Family Collection.

 

For this new Heard exhibition, Montaño sees dedicated collectors who assembled these works into a collection while also supporting Native American creators. “Speaking broadly about the entire jewelry collection from the Basha Family Collection, the collector, Eddie Basha Jr., primarily focused on supporting Native artists in Arizona,” Montaño says. “The collection is diverse in style, materials, techniques and type. The exhibition Adorned with Memory doesn’t necessarily reveal the specific tastes of the collectors but instead reflects the relationships and friendships Eddie Basha Jr. nurtured with many artists throughout his lifetime.”

Leo Landy Yazzie (Navajo (Diné)), Silver choker necklace with lapis pendant, 7¼ x 5½". Gift of the Basha Family Collection.

 

Charles Loloma (1921-1991, Hopi), Eight-strand coral necklace with gold cones and beads, ca. 1980s, 11½ x 4¾". Gift of the Basha Family Collection.

 

For some viewers who see jewelry as accessories to clothing, Adorned with Memory will also present jewelry as fine art that can be enjoyed whether it’s on a wrist, neck or finger, or in a display case behind glass. “As the curator, my role is to act as a translator, conveying the artists’ immense histories, narratives, and memories to visitors,” Montaño says. “I’ve reached out to the living artists represented in this exhibition, prioritizing their voices. The title of the exhibition speaks to the memories of artistry embedded in the jewelry itself, but also brings forward aspects of relationality facilitated through the giving and receiving of jewelry. The works featured are infused with knowledge, and my focus is on presenting the individual artists’ histories in ways that relate to one another and to the broader traditions of Southwest jewelry practices.”

Joe and Terry Reano (Santo Domingo Pueblo), Three-strand necklace. Gift of the Basha Family Collection.

 

Adorned with Memory: Jewelry from the Basha Family Collection of American Indian Art will remain on view through March 8, 2026. It will be on view across from another Basha exhibition, Heart of the Community: Baskets from the Basha Family Collection of American Indian Art, which runs concurrently with the jewelry exhibition.  —

February 7, 2025-March 8, 2026
Adorned with Memory: Jewelry from the Basha Family Collection of American Indian Art
Heard Museum
2301 N. Central Avenue. Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 252-8840, www.heard.org

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