rug auction
18TH ANNUAL NAVAJO RUG AUCTION
August 2, 2008
Annual Museum of New Mexico Navajo Rug Auction to feature Two Grey Hills Tapestry by noted weaver Rosita Young
Rug Auction Benefits Education, Acquisitions, Public Programs at State Museums and Monuments
Santa Fe, N.M. — A stunning Two Grey Hills tapestry woven in 22 shades of handspun wool by noted Four Corners weaver Rosita Young is among the highlights at the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s 18th Annual Navajo Rug Auction on Saturday, August 2.
The auction, featuring some 200 contemporary museum-quality rugs by 50 of the region’s finest contemporary Navajo weavers, will be held in the historic Palace of the Governors Courtyard. The event begins with a preview from 9-11 a.m., with bidding to start promptly at 11 a.m. Admission is free and bid cards are $5.
Noted auctioneer Bob Payne of Bloomfield, New Mexico, who has overseen the auction since its inception, will return for the 18th year to lead the bidding on rugs by Young and other notables. Hailing from the Sanostee, New Mexico, area, Young raises her own sheep and has become famous for the unusual colors of wool that she breeds into her flock.
“These natural color combinations make Young’s weavings particularly unique,” says auction organizer Tannis Eberts, Native American and Spanish Arts Buyer for the Foundation’s five Museum Shops. “We are thrilled to be able to feature one of her rugs at this year’s event.”
As in years past, the annual Navajo Rug Auction will showcase museum-quality rugs in wide-ranging styles, including Two Gray Hills, Ganados, Teec Nos Pos, Yeis, Pictorials, Wide Ruins, Storms, and Sandpainting. Past auctions have included works by weavers Dennis Long, Julia Pete, Laverne Van Winkle, Rose Nargo, Susie McCabe and Mary Henderson. The breadth of artists and styles makes the auction popular among Navajo textile collectors.
“The prices are good and the quality is superior,” Eberts says. “The traders involved in this effort go to great lengths to find us the best.”
A program of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s Museum Shops, auction proceeds benefit educational projects, acquisitions and other programs at the Palace of the Governors/New Mexico History Museum, New Mexico Museum of Art, Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, six state monuments, and Office of Archaeological Studies.
For more information on the 18th Annual Navajo Rug Auction, call Tannis Eberts at 505-982-3016 ext. 22, or email support@newmexicocreates.org
As an alternate contact, call Carmella Padilla at 505-471-8821, or email carmpad@aol.com
