Bayly Art Museum
University of Virginia, Charlottesville,
VA
804.924.3592
Dragonfly, Bear, and Eagle:
The Ralph E. Olson Collection of Native American Art
Through April 2, 2000, the Bayly Art Museum
will present the special exhibition 
"Dragonfly, Bear, and Eagle: The Ralph E. Olson
Collection of Native American Art." The exhibition was organized by
Mary Jo Ayers, adjunct curator of Native American art at the Bayly Art Museum.
(left: The Four Corners, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, probably
Lukachukai Area Navajo (Diné) Peoples, Navajo Pictoral
Rug, mid-20th century, handspun and hand woven wool, vegetal, aniline
dyes and natural color, 73 x 61 inches, Private collection; right: Northwest
Coast Alaska Native Peoples or First Peoples of Canada, Bowl in Shape
of Bear, wood, paint, 8 inches high, Private collection)
Like many private collections, the Ralph E. Olson Collection
of Native American Art reflects the particular interests and expertise of
the collector. Carefully chosen textiles and pottery from the southwestern
United States, carvings from the northwest coast of Alaska and Canada, beadwork
and painting from the Great Lakes and Plains regions are all well represented,
along with a small selection of photographs of people and places in native
North America, recorded by the noted artist Edward S. Curtis.
Selections
for the Museum exhibition include bowls by Nampeyo of Hano and her descendants,
as well as work from the Zuni and Zia pueblos. Animal imagery on the 
Zuni
pottery, such as pollywogs, dragonfies, and horn toads, recalls the importance
of water to the desert farmer. The eagle carries the people's prayers to
their deities. On the North American plains major events in the life of
a person or group were recorded. Traditionally, these paintings and drawings
were done on animal skins, then on ledger papers and cloth purchased from
the reservation trading post. One large painting on cloth depicts native
peoples, U. S. Army soldiers, and animals, all involved in an important
event. (left: Rachel Nampeyo (1902-1983), Arizona, first Mesa, the
village of Hano, Hopi-Tewa peoples, Bowl, (c. 1930), earthenware,
hand-built, stone polished, mineral paint, 8 1/2 inches high x 13 inches
diameter, Private collection, right: North American Plains/Plateau, Possibly
Ute or Shoshone, Kiowa peoples, Indians, Soldiers, and Animals, commercial
muslin cloth, lead pencil, water base paint, inscribed in pencil at the
bottom is the following "Fort DuChesne Utah 1895," Private collection)
"The exhibition," notes Ms. Ayers, "attests
to Mr. Olson's practiced eye. He built this collection with great dedication,
obtaining the best examples available to represent his commitment to the
cultures of native peoples."
Read more in Resource
Library Magazine about the Bayly
Art Museum.
For further biographical information on selected artists
cited above please see America's Distinguished
Artists, a national registry of historic artists.
Please click on thumbnail images bordered by a red line
to see enlargements.
rev. 1/6/11
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Library for thousands of articles and essays on American art.
Copyright 2010 Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation. All rights
reserved.
Through April 2, 2000, the Bayly Art Museum
will present the special exhibition 
"Dragonfly, Bear, and Eagle: The Ralph E. Olson
Collection of Native American Art." The exhibition was organized by
Mary Jo Ayers, adjunct curator of Native American art at the Bayly Art Museum.
(left: The Four Corners, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, probably
Lukachukai Area Navajo (Diné) Peoples, Navajo Pictoral
Rug, mid-20th century, handspun and hand woven wool, vegetal, aniline
dyes and natural color, 73 x 61 inches, Private collection; right: Northwest
Coast Alaska Native Peoples or First Peoples of Canada, Bowl in Shape
of Bear, wood, paint, 8 inches high, Private collection)
