Bracelet c. 1915

This bracelet was made by a Navajo artist; we don’t know when, but it is at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Look at the turquoise cabochons, those small, polished gems, how they are placed with little beads and secured to the twisted band, and how the artist embraced that slightly irregular surface. The way the metal is worked, you get a real sense of the hand. Like the slight irregularities, which are the sign of something lovingly made, these imperfections make it feel real, something you can touch and connect with. The turquoise is smooth, worn smooth with age, a soft robin's egg blue that makes me think of Agnes Martin. There's something about the repeated forms, those three turquoise stones, that feels very human, like a little mantra or a pattern of breaths. It’s a reminder that art is about this ongoing conversation, between materials, maker, and wearer.