"The Navajo Churro Collection" 2001
Below is a short introduction to Steve and his collection by Peter Iverson.
Though Steve now lives in Sonoita and not at the family ranch in Benson
we thought you would enjoy the insight Peter provides
about how Steve has and still does, work with the Navajo Weavers.
The Getzwiller Collection of
Contemporary Navajo Weavings
November 4, 2000 – January 28, 2001
"The Navajo Churro Collection" was part of a major exhibition at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg Arizona. The exhibition represented Steve’s accomplishments and contributions to Navajo Weaving from 1975-2000, featuring the best weaving examples resulting from the collaborative work between Steve and some of the finest Navajo weavers of our time.
Steve Getzwiller began working with Navajo weavers in the Wide Ruins area of the Navajo reservation and encouraged the ladies to expand their natural dye palates. He also encouraged them to expand their design ideas by giving them books of Sioux bead work designs, resulting in some fabulous textiles which were featured in this exhibit by Nellie Roan, Agnes Smith, Betty Roan, Annie Tsosie, and more.
This was the beginning of the journey which brought about the collaboration between these ladies mentioned above (all sisters), who dyed the wool and Alice Balone and Sadie Curtis who wove the Burntwater weaving pictured on the right in the photo below.
This was the first and last ever collaboration of of this kind where;
1) Navajo ladies dying wool from native plants and natural materials found on the reservation (many of these dyes were hallmark dyes and secret recipes of each Navajo lady), and
2) allowing another weaver to use their wool to weave a rug in another style.
This weaving and all of these ladies were featured in Steve's Book and the early Arizona Highways Navajo Rug issue, which brought on a demand for the Burntwater rug in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Steve's growth took him to different areas of interest in design, seeking out the best materials to weave (Churro Wool), and cultivating new weavers to work with. The final room of the exhibition featured the Nez family which was a delight to the eyes, Teec Nos Pos, Pictorials, Bistie, and more.
This exhibition featured over 60 masterpieces of weaving, resplendent in colors and textures that celebrate the evolution of Navajo weaving at the close of the 20th century, and the return of the Churro tradition.
• Desert Caballeros Western Museum •
21 North Frontier Street
Wickenburg, Arizona 85390
(928) 684-2272
www.westernmuseum.org
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"The Fine Art of Navajo Weaving"
by Steve Getzwiller
Over 100,000 Copies Sold
In the last 200 years
Navajo Weaving has come a long way: from the shoulder, to the floor, to a place of distinction on the gallery wall.
"Treasures of the Navajo Horsemen"
Historic Saddle Blankets from the Getzwiller Collection
There is an artistic quality and inherent freedom of expression reflected in many of these early saddle blankets.