A visit to historic Toadlena Trading Post:
The weavers give feedback on paintings and sculpture
Getting valuable input on artwork from Navajo weavers
At the end of September, sculptor Craig Bergsgaard and painter James Ayers visited historic Toadlena Trading Post to show preliminary versions of the pieces that will be shown in Honoring Weavers with Canvas and Bronze, their new benefit exhibit that will open June 18, 2011.
Bergsgaard and Ayers showed their in-progress works to the Navajo weavers whose culture they are celebrating. The two artists were able to get first hand input on their depictions of early Navajo weaving and shepherding life.
Painter James Ayers shows his drawing of a Navajo weaver to Master Weaver Emily Watchman
Sculptor Craig Bergsgaard watches Master Weaver Evelyn George add a bit of clay to his work-in-process The Chaperone. Evelyn informed Craig that “The sheep needs to be fatter.”
“This trip was really valuable for me, because I was able to learn about details that I couldn’t get from secondary research,” said Bergsgaard.
“One woman came up to me and looked at my sculpture of a Navajo man on a horse and asked: ‘Where are his earrings? My grandfather always wore earrings.’ I would have never known this aspect without her input.”
Carding and spinning day at historic Toadlena Trading Post
Bergsgaard and Ayers timed their visit to coincide with the post’s carding and spinning day, an annual event where the weavers of the community card and spin their wool, catch up on news, and enjoy lunch and door prizes.
Getting into the swing of things, Ayers and Bergsgaard tried their hands at carding wool, Navajo style. The results were, shall we say, mixed at best.
“The weavers make it look so easy,” Ayers says, “but carding wool is much harder than it looks!
James Ayers tries his hand at carding wool under the tutelage of Pamela Brown, the youngest Master Weaver at historic Toadlena Trading Post
Master weaver Virginia Deal tries in vain to teach sculptor Craig Bergsgaard how to hand-spin wool Navajo style.
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