Profiles of Native American artists and the generations of knowledge behind their work.
4 articles
Generational Knowledge in Every Piece
Understanding the apprenticeship model and family lineages that produce the finest Native American jewelry.
Read Article
A lifetime devoted to the ancient art of Diné silverwork
Thomas Begay has spent five decades refining the techniques first brought to the Diné by Atsidi Sani generations ago. His sand-cast and tufa-cast creations represent a living bridge between ancestral metalworking traditions and contemporary artistic expression, each piece carrying the weight of cultural memory forged in sterling silver.
Read Article
Where patience becomes beauty in the A:shiwi tradition of stone cutting
In the quiet precision of her Zuni Pueblo workshop, Lorraine Waatsa transforms raw turquoise, coral, and shell into the intricate needlepoint, petit point, and mosaic inlay patterns that have defined Zuni lapidary artistry for over a century. Her work carries forward the Zuni lapidary tradition while pushing the boundaries of what stone-on-silver composition can achieve.
Read Article
The Hopi overlay tradition as a language of prayer and cultural memory
Working from his studio on Second Mesa, Duane Tawahongva practices the distinctive Hopi overlay technique — a method in which two layers of sterling silver are fused together, with designs cut from the top layer to reveal the oxidized surface beneath. Clan symbols, water motifs, and migration patterns translate centuries of Hopituh Shi-nu-mu spiritual knowledge into wearable silver narratives that carry prayers across the secular world.
Read Article
