Round Coiled Plaque c. 20th century

This Round Coiled Plaque of uncertain date was made by Tohono O'odham, also known as Papago peoples. Imagine the quiet, patient labor involved in coiling this plaque. It's not painting, but the process shares a similar repetitive rhythm. Each pass of the fiber around the form builds on the last, spiraling outward, creating a textural topography with subtle variations. Look at how the black geometric designs emerge from the light ground. What stories do they hold? Perhaps a stylized map or a symbolic rendering of the natural world. I imagine the maker carefully considering each stitch, each shift in color, to bring this design to life. The central void stares back at me like an open eye, inviting contemplation, as if to imply that making is a form of seeing. Thinking about the material craft of this plaque reminds me how we artists are always in conversation with one another, whether across time or medium. There are endless ways of seeing and experiencing the world.