PHOENIX, ARIZONA.- The Heard Museum presents "Cultural Colors: Fabric Art and Drawings by Ramona Sakiestewa," on view through January 5, 2003. This new exhibit celebrates the work of Hopi fabric artist Ramona Sakiestewa. The exhibit features a selection of Sakiestewa’s limited edition Pendleton and Scalamandré blanket designs, original textiles and prints by the artist as well as cultural materials.



Sakiestewa captures the dramatic colors of the Southwest as well as expressions of cultures and art from South America and the Mediterranean in her exquisite contemporary tapestries and blankets that are derived from the styles and designs of traditional Native weavings. Sakiestewa is also known for the trade blanket designs she creates for the legendary Pendleton Woolen Mills in Oregon and for the home-furnishing manufacturer Scalamandre, which is based in New York and is known for its high-quality reproductions of wallpaper and fine furnishings. Her trade blanket series are inspired by the history of the American West and Southwest.



A self-taught artist, Sakiestewa began weaving in the 1960s on a traditional vertical-style loom, later switching to a horizontal floor loom. In 1981, she began to weave full time and began the creative experimentation that has led to her role as an innovator in contemporary Native American fabric arts. Sakiestewa’s creative process begins with colored pencils and graph paper and concludes dramatically with a striking textile that speaks of place.