Bracelet after 1890

Curator: This captivating piece is a silver bracelet crafted by a Navajo artist, sometime after 1890. It’s currently held here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: My eye is immediately drawn to the striking contrast between the cool silver and those delicate turquoise stones. It’s both simple and feels imbued with something deeper, almost spiritual. Curator: Yes, turquoise holds significant cultural importance for the Navajo people, often associated with protection and well-being. It bridges sky and earth in its symbolism. Consider also that this bracelet wasn’t just decoration; it's an example of the trade in Southwestern art to tourists. Its designs borrow from and create new meaning around older symbols. Editor: So it’s functioning on multiple levels, both reflecting cultural values and becoming a commodity for outside consumption. Does the specific arrangement or number of the turquoise stones have any significance, beyond just aesthetic appeal? Curator: It’s a difficult to tell given how much these design aesthetics shifted within changing markets for Native art. But often in Navajo aesthetics you see arrangements referencing constellations, landscape features or spiritual beings. It's important to remember, too, that design is dynamic, with individual artists holding specific knowledge of these symbols, interpreting them in their own ways. The designs worked into the metal may also carry coded references we’ve lost over time, as so many cultural works were divorced from their context in displays like these. Editor: Absolutely, that’s a critical point. Display changes an artwork’s function. And this bracelet, once part of someone's personal story, now lives within a museum context, speaking to a much wider audience. The craftsmanship, the materials themselves speak of resilience and resourcefulness. I love that it hints at both personal expression and a deep connection to a shared cultural heritage. Curator: Seeing how designs adapted through trade, colonization and settlement is always complicated. And for me this small item echoes the power of these communities to keep their beliefs alive, expressed in art for their own use, or the eyes of the world. Editor: And that ongoing artistic dialog across time and cultures is powerful to consider as we view this bracelet. It holds more than just a reflection of the past but a continuing link with it, as well.