On my trip to Taos, New Mexico I visited
the Millicent Rogers Museum. Lonely Planet described it as "Filled with
pottery, jewelry, baskets and textiles, this has one of the best collections of
Native American and Spanish Colonial art in the US". I am unable to judge
whether this statement is true but I can, very enthusiastically, say that in my
opinion the collection is rich in interesting and beautiful artifacts that are put
on view in an easy to follow manner. At the time of my visit two displays were
dedicated to Native American potters: Maria Martinez and Margaret Tafoya.
Both
collaborated with their families to experiment with different techniques and
help preserve the ancient traditional pottery making techniques. Most notable were the black on black pieces (also known as blackware).
As my big love is for jewelry I will
dedicate a few posts to the museum's jewelry displays. The jewelry was
collected and owned by Millicent Rogers. This is an absolutely amazing
collection because of the: large number pieces, variety of traditional styles
(Zuni, Hopi, Navajo), contemporary designs with traditional roots, works by
artists which until then I have seen only in books and presentations of
traditional jewelry making tools and methods. My intention is not to provide a
full report of the collection but to give a few insights into displays I found
especially eye-catching.
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| The entrance to the hacienda that houses the museum |
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| Pottery by Maria Martinez |
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| Pottery by Maria Martinez |
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| Pottery by Margaret Tafoya |
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| Pottery by Margaret Tafoya |
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