Jurors' Comments for All Awards

About the Jurors

Southwest Indian Art Award of Excellence ($1,000)
Courtesy of Jim Click Automotive Team
"Spiritually United" by Alexander R. Youvella, Hopi

Description: Carving with four figures from the Eagle Dance Ceremony. Carved in from a single piece of wood with natural pigments, acrylic paints and oils.

About this Award: Awarded for work that exhibits the highest visual appeal and craftsmanship.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: Hopi carving, tall sculpture, very well balanced. To me it's a very fine piece incorporating the eagle, mudhead, dancers—very well-balanced, all of the elements tie in with the rest of sculpture. The sashes and smaller parts of the entire figure all flow well into each other. For example, the sashes and other elements all flow in a similar direction. Overall sculpture and flow is great.
David Johns: (Preferred "At Peace" alabaster sculpture of mother and two children.) Because it's an original stone sculpture. Mainly I like the three figures; the sculpture shows a young mother trying to put children to sleep. The expression of the mother and children is moving; I had a feeling like they could touch me. The mother is tired, and even though the sculpture is stone, there is a strong emotional feeling in it. It has a sense of caring, loving. I didn't choose the Hopi sculpture because it seems that the artist could do more detail work to make it an excellent piece.
Larry King: (Originally chose "Creator's Blessing" a maiden, green and black sculpture.) I defended it, but unfortunately it was the first edition of 35, not an original. My 2nd choice was the Hopi carving—I really like the overall excellent and meticulous carving, especially the swirling detail. I felt caught between choosing a very traditionalist vs. a contemporary piece.

Award of Excellence in Two Dimensional Art ($1,000)
Courtesy of Desert Diamond Casino
"Butterfly Maiden" by Vino Manuel, Hopi/Tohono O'odham

Description: Mixed media drawing.

About this Award: Awarded to the work whose quality showcases excellence in arts. Any medium is eligible.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: It was a very nice painting, especially the way the colors blended together and the way the rainbow man came up in the center of things. It looks like it took a lot of effort and time to do.
David Johns: I like the composition because of the artist's use of techniques along with his whole composition of color, bells, and objects. The technique part really stood out. It's kind of traditional with a contemporary style of composition. The color has a lot of depth and just reflects that it was probably very time-consuming to produce.
Larry King: I'm dismayed that my choice—"The Hero Twins"—got defeated. I liked it because it is a contemporary, more immediate, expressive style. Many people think art stamping is not valuable; for me it is a very expressive method of mono print, but not in the standard mode you see all the time. This is why I like the mono print of the "Hero Twins." The one that won was chosen because it took a lot of time and the colors.

Larry Lominac Memorial Award of Excellence ($700)
Courtesy of Friends of Larry Lominac
"Otter Family" by Nathan Lefthand, Navajo

Description: Necklace of sterling silver, hand carved elk horn otter figures, abalone shell beads, Australian opal and rubies. Techniques: constructed.

About this Award: Awarded to recognize the use of humor and animal imagery (particularly bears) in any media. Larry, who passed away in 2003, was the husband of ASM Staff member Karen Lominac. His lifelong love of animals inspired the creation of this award.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: This is a beautiful piece, a great piece of carving out of one piece of bone. Each otter has something (an object) on its stomach because they are shown swimming on their backs. Their bellies have shells on them. This is how otters float—it's a very great piece and lots of fun.
David Johns: This is a necklace of four otters. I agreed with the other judges on this piece because of the humor shown about animal culture. It shows Navajo stories about this particular animal, their songs, their prayers to it, especially their humor. The significance of otter in Navajo culture is represented in the necklace's style and composition.
Larry King: I think this is a very excellent piece to honor Larry Lominac because of its humor. The otter is featured in Navajo stories and culture and the necklace demonstrates the northwestern trail connection. I thought this was fun to see—the curious antics that otters do while eating and lying in the water. The medium that is used is common in Navajo ceremonial traditions, such as abalone shell and antlers.

Award of Excellence in Sculpture/Carving ($500)
Courtesy of Gallery West
"At Peace" by Vincent Kaydahzinne, Mescalero Apache

Description: Hand carved alabaster sculpture with natural finish.

About this Award: Awarded for high quality in craftsmanship in sculpture or carving.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: I selected this piece because it is a difficult thing to get two children, a mother, and a cradleboard this size put together in a way that they are nicely balanced. This is a good carving—nice piece.
David Johns: Again, I chose this sculpture of mother and two children because it's an original stone sculpture. Mainly I like the three figures together; the sculpture shows a young mother trying to put her children to sleep, and you can tell she is tired. The facial expressions of the mother and children are emotionally moving—I had a feeling like they could touch me. The mother looks tired, and even though the sculpture is stone, there is a strong emotional feeling in it. It has a sense of caring, loving. I chose this because the award title is "excellence in sculpture/carving" and this piece represents that. As far as carving goes, it is obvious there is a lot of work that went into creating this original piece and the craftsmanship is excellent.
Larry King: I chose the piece called "Uncle," "the fool in the round" sculpture because of the meticulous detail in the carving. This piece has a great deal of excellence in the sculptural carving.

Award of Excellence in Pottery ($500)
Courtesy of Kaibab Shops
"Messenger" by Gloria Kahe, Navaho

Description: Large seed bowl made of native clay. Natural pigments include hematite with beets for black and yellow clay for red coloring. Painting was done with a yucca fiber brush. Traditionally fired with manure.

About this Award: Awarded to work that shows the best quality in craftsmanship and use of ceramic material. All pottery is eligible.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: It's a very nice pot. The beautiful painting and the bird design on it is very different than any I've ever seen. I don't see a single flaw in it—great piece.
David Johns: The craftsmanship that's put on this ceramic Hopi pottery has very intricate design. The way the colors all came out is beautiful, and it's a great example of very traditional Hopi pottery.
Larry King: Excellent representation of medium used to do the seed pot, methods using yucca plant brush, slip, and dyes. Shows a lot of knowledge about the handling of the clay.

Award of Excellence in Katsina Doll Carving ($500)
Courtesy of Grey Dog Trading Co.
"Uncle" by Keith Torres, Hopi

Description: Cottonwood carving with natural pigments.

About this Award: Awarded to the Katsina carving that best portrays adherence to traditional representation and use of materials.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: Very well-carved, well-painted, nice overall design. Very fine piece.
David Johns: I chose this because it's a Hopi kachina, and a lot of tribes do kachinas these days, but this is a beautiful, genuine Hopi piece.
Larry King: The carving represents Hopi "Uncle" and it shows a lot of skill, excellence, and fine detail. The body movement all around is very good.

Award of Excellence in Painting or Drawing ($500)
Courtesy of Arch & Laura Brown
"Mimbres" by Gerald Dawavendewa, Hopi/Cherokee

Description: Ink drawing on parchment vellum.

About this Award: Awarded for high quality in craftsmanship in painting or drawing.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: Very nice Mimbres designs, good color combination, assembled in a very artistic manner.
David Johns: The painting is very handsome in composition. It shows stages of today, stages of time, and it depicts man and nature as equal through stages of life.
Larry King: Represents excellent imagery of Mimbres forms.

Dawn Cromwell Legacy Award of Excellence ($500)
Courtesy of Dawn Cromwell
"Germantown 1860's Replica" by Charlene Laughing, Navajo

Description: Hand woven Germantown style rug of natural color wool (gray), vegetal dyed wool (yellow and green) and commercial wool (red and black).

About this Award: This award recognizes commitment to excellence among artists returning to SWIAF. Any medium is eligible.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: It's a great Germantown revival weaving. It's very square and if you look closely for faults you won't find any. The Germantown yarns were not made with native dyes so it fits the Germantown style very well. It's a beautiful piece and overall a good example of Germantown revival.
David Johns: The way the Germantown revival weaving was woven and the color used is a good example of Germantown era rugs (1860s). The colors that were used are beautiful.
Larry King: I chose the bear fetish necklace in lapis because of the excellence by the craftsperson; the return artist needs to be recognized for that—excellent.

Award of Excellence in Two Dimensional Art ($400)
Courtesy of Pam & Roland Shack
"Hero Twins" by Ron Jackson, Navajo

Description: Monotype. Printing ink on paper.

About this Award: Awarded to work that shows top quality in a two-dimensional medium. Painting, drawing and photography are eligible.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: Good color coordination; the more you study it the more you see in the imagery. It's a very interesting piece overall.
David Johns: The composition could be called traditional, contemporary, and monotype, which is a wonderful kind of technique. The use of colors and objects that make up the composition is very handsome.
Larry King: I'm glad this piece got its deserved recognition for its fast expressive mode. Even though it's a fast process, you have to think about how it's going to come out. Many people think art stamping is not valuable, but for me it is a very expressive method of mono print, but not in the standard mode you see all the time. This is why I like the mono print of the "Hero Twins." It has great geometric imagery. It's exciting and I like the artist's color imagery and format.

Award of Excellence in Clay ($400)
Courtesy of Casas Adobes Barber Shop
"San Ildefonso Pueblo Swoosh Pot" by Barbara Gonzales, San Ildefonso Pueblo

Description: Enclosed pot with turquoise and coral inlay and scraffito designs representing the four sacred directions. Traditionally fired with cow and horse manure.

About this Award: Awarded for high quality in craftsmanship and vision in the use of clay. All pottery and figurative clay are eligible.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: This is a beautiful black bowl with overlay of turquoise and coral. Directions shown on the bowl demonstrate the characteristics of the landscape at the pueblo, such as the four directions. Lots of scratchwork with horses and other figures.
David Johns: This San Ildefonso Pueblo pot is a really beautiful piece of pottery; the overall design and composition is beautiful.
Larry King: The fine incised lines in the San Ildefonso style are excellent because they show great control of incising. The sheen gives it a nice presence.

Award of Excellence in Jewelry ($300)
Courtesy of Morning Star Traders, Inc.
"Language Makes the Difference" by Julius Keyonnie, Navajo

Description: Sterling silver with 14K gold. Techniques: overlay, engraving.

About this Award: Awarded for high quality in craftsmanship in jewelry and silversmithing.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: This is an excellent concho belt in Hopi design. It contains lots of engraving, gold and silver, and some overlay work as well.
David Johns: I liked this piece because of the craftsmanship in silver and gold and because of the deities subject matter. The whole concho is nicely done—excellent craftsmanship.
Larry King: (Chose "Druzy Pendant") Druzy and silver make an excellent contract—excellent handling of metal with stones.

Award of Excellence in Basketry ($300)
Courtesy of Silverbell Trading
"Squash Blossom" by Sinclair Francisco, Tohono O'odham

Description: Four point horsehair basket.

About this Award: Awarded for high quality in craftsmanship in basket arts.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: I preferred the Hopi quill basket because of all the various representations of corn dancers, rain dancers and other traditional Hopi elements. It's a miniature, but done in the traditional way, with traditional dyes. It's a great little miniature basket.
David Johns: I selected this because it's very beautiful, very intricate, very detailed, and very local.
Larry King: Excellent handling of horse hair representing a squash blossom—shows excellence in the medium.

Award of Excellence in Textiles or Weavings ($300)
Courtesy of Cele Peterson's
"Vegetal Crystal" by Charlene Laughing, Navajo

Description: Crystal style wool rug with natural and commercial dyes. The green, yellow, browns and oranges are vegetal dyes.

About this Award: Awarded to acknowledge excellence in craftsmanship in all forms of weaving. Baskets, rugs and other fiber arts are eligible.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: This is a very beautiful Crystal rug. It has natural as well as commercial dyes, but is very well made, nice and square. Beautiful piece.
David Johns: I preferred the Teecs Nos Pos rug because its very traditional with natural dyes. It's beautiful.
Larry King: The Crystal rug shows excellent handling of the medium of commercial and natural dyes, shows the artist is a master in craftsmanship.

Award of Excellence in Figurative Clay ($300)
Courtesy of Bahti Indian Arts
"Large Female Storyteller w/ Tablita" by Marilyn Ray, Acoma Pueblo

Description: Large storyteller figure wearing a tablita with 8 children. Made of native clay and mineral and clay paints. Kiln fired.

About this Award: Awarded to acknowledge excellence in non-vessel ceramics.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: Very interesting clay sculpture of mother with many children—a variety of actions going on, great piece.
David Johns: This is a very beautiful, figurative piece; colors and elements really fit in handsomely.
Larry King: Shows great excellence by the artist; piece depicts 8 children, birds, cat, lizard, butterfly and a variety of additional figures. The artist does an excellent job of handling all the figures.

Award of Excellence in Sandcasting ($300)
Courtesy of Bahti Indian Arts
"Navajo Corn Blossom Necklace" by Allison D. Lee, Navajo

Description: Sterling silver neclace with 6 corn blossoms on each side and a central naja set with Lone Mountain, Nevada turquoise. Techniques: Sandcast, constructed, stamped/filed.

About this Award: Awarded to recognize excellence in sandcasting execution. The donor's goal is to encourage the continuation of this traditional silversmithing technique, one of the first introduced by the Spanish.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: Very beautiful sandcast squash blossom necklace with a traditional naja and very fine Lone Mountain turquoise.
David Johns: Beautiful sandcast squash blossom necklace; everything is very unique and I liked the turquoise stones. Beautiful.
Larry King: This Lone Mountain sandcast naja-style squash blossom shows good handling of the technique. It has a nice heavy feeling to it. It should be appealing to anyone using it as an accoutrement.

Award of Excellence in Traditional Carving ($250)
Courtesy of Karen & Stephen Strom
"Gaspeite Galore" by Stacey Turpen, Diné

Description: Fetish necklace of hand carved gaspeite from western Australia and turquoise nugget accents.

About this Award: Awarded for carving that adheres most to cultural content, other than a Kastina doll.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: The gaspeite is a pretty material for fetishes and includes a variety of animals and birds. These are terrific carvings and evidence of lots of work by the artist.
David Johns: It's a very beautifully carved fetish necklace. Just beautiful.
Larry King: Carving the animals from gaspeite is a nice technique of carving and highlights the shapes of the fetishes.

Gordon Carle Award of Excellence in Tribal Arts ($250)
Courtesy of Southwestern University & Global College
"Eternal Spirit Medicine" by Black Eagle, Shoshone/Yokut

Description: Decorated warshirt made of brain tanned deerskin, decorated with human hair, antique beads, natural pigments, seed beeds, lined with 100% wool broadcloth and sewn with linen thread.

About this Award: Awarded to recognize high quality in diverse media that do not fit into conventional categories.

Jurors' Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: Beautiful war shirt with brain-tanned hide, many scalp locks, trade cloth, and traditional beadwork.
David Johns: Very manly! Very nice beadwork. You can smell the brain-tan! Beautiful.
Larry King: War shirt. Surely fits the high quality of diverse media and represents the war shirt that as Native Americans we long for. It represents the gradual loss of our culture and a way to amend that anxiety.

Judge's Choice Award ($200)
Courtesy of Ralph & Ingeborg Silberschlag
"Leaping Horney Horney Toads" by Desert Little Bear Gonzales, Pasqua Yaqui

Description: Volcanic basalt stone with natural black varnish surface hand carved with a horned lizard design.

About this Award: This award is also called the "passion award". Each juror selects one piece after all other awards have been decided. The Judge's Choice Awards are designed to bring recognition to a work that each juror, independently, feels is outstanding. These pieces may have been overlooked due to the limited number of awards or because they fell outside other award categories.

Juror's Comments:
Rex Arrowsmith: Stone carving reminiscent of petroglyphs from prehistoric times. Horned toads with other traditional images.

Judge's Choice Award ($200)
Courtesy of Ralph & Ingeborg Silberschlag
"Buffalo Table Top Fetish" by Joseph Begay, Navajo

Description: Large hand carved fetish made of Belgium marble horn and Picasso marble inlaid with turquoise, mother of pearl, red coral, blue lapiz and jet.

Juror's Comments:
David Johns: I like the buffalo piece because it represents healing. I like buffalo stories. This piece is beautiful.

Judge's Choice Award ($200)
Courtesy of Dorothy Finley
"O'odtham Sky" by Shelden Nuñez-Velarde, Jicarilla Apache

Description: Traditional style black micaceous pot.

Juror's Comments:
Larry King: There is a nice contemporary feel to this piece; I like the artist's control. The reduction-fired micaceous pottery in dark black form caught my eye and is an exciting technique. It's a great medium to see.

ASM Director's Choice Award of Excellence ($300)
Courtesy of Arizona State Museum
"Traditional San Ildefonso Pueblo Polychrome Vase" by Cavan Gonzales, San Ildefonso Pueblo

Description: Vase with plant designs and geometric bird designs. Made of San Ildefonso Pueblo clay and slips, painted with bee plant mixed with rock. Traditionally fired with cow manure.

About this Award: Awarded to acknowledge excellence in quality, this award is selected by the ASM Director. Any medium is eligible.

Juror's Comments:
Hartman Lomawaima: I selected this pot because of its size and shape, and because in my view, it is timeless. Whether decorated or undecorated, one could expect to see a pot in this size and shape at any point over the last 2500 years. Hopis call this a squash-shaped bowl. Another reason I chose it is because while the painting is bold, it is still in many ways muted or matte in finish and I think that's a nice effect. If you were to unroll the pot and flatten it out, it reminds me of murals that you'd see in kivas. This pot must have deep roots in the village or culture in which it was produced.

Gwyneth Harrington Wulsin Memorial Purchase Award of Excellence ($750)
Courtesy of Southwestern University & Global College
"Saguaro Harvest" by James D. Preston, Tohono O'odham

Description: Hand carved sculture of a Tohono O'odham woman harvesting saguaro. Made in three pieces from cottonwood root and saguaro rib.

About this Award: Art works winning purchase awards become part of the museum's permanent collections. They are chosen for their technique and artistry as well as for the way in which they compare and contrast with other items in our collections. Any medium is eligible.

Jurors' Comments:
Patrick Lyons and Diane Dittemore: We are excited about recognizing a relatively unconventional medium in O'odham art. This award also honors the close relationship between Gwyneth Harrington Wulsin and Tohono O'odham craftspeople.

B.C Waddell Memorial Purchase Award in Jewelry ($500)
Courtesy of Waddell Trading Co.
"Drusi Pendant w/ Handmade Chain" by L. Bruce Hodgins, Diné

Description: Contemporary style 3-dimensional swirl pendant of Brazilian natural drusi stone and silver with a handmade silver chain. Technique: contructed.

Jurors' Comments:
Patrick Lyons and Diane Dittemore: Druzy is an exotic stone and this piece will make an excellent addition to ASM's upcoming Set in Stone exhibit.

Staff Purchase Award ($325)
Courtesy of Arizona State Museum Staff
"Hopi Coil Basket" by Alberta Selina, Hopi

Description: Coiled basked with butterfly and raincloud designs representing beauty and moisture. Natural yucca fiber with natural and commercial dyes.

Jurors' Comments:
Patrick Lyons and Diane Dittemore: We have very few examples of Hopi coiled basketry and this is a very finely coiled example.

SWIAF Friends of the ASM Collections Acquisition Award ($3,000)
Courtesy of Friends of the ASM Collections
"River of Life" by Caroline Carpio, Isleta Pueblo

Description: Bronze pot with inlay of hand painted bronze beads.

Jurors' Comments:
Patrick Lyons and Diane Dittemore: This piece started as a clay jar and became a bronze sculpture with beautifully rich patinas and hand-painted, inlaid beads. It shows continuity and change in the media and techniques employed by Southwestern Native American artists.

Youth Best of Show ($300)
Courtesy of Orca Bay Gallery
"Abstract Ring" by Cody Hendren, Navajo/Santo Domingo

Description: Abstract design ring with materials including sterling silver and wood. Techniques: marriage of metals, mokume game, constructed.

About this Award: Awarded for youth work that exhibits the highest visual appeal and craftsmanship. Artists of age 17 and under are eligible.

Juror's Comments:
Dawn Cromwell: The artist seems willing to take design risks and explore space and textures while creating a traditional artform.

Friends of Lorraine Honanie Youth Award of Excellence ($200)
Courtesy of Friends of Lorraine Honanie
"Fish Bowl" by Cheri Ayu-Aya Joe, Hopi

Description: Pottery bowl in the shape of a fish, hand coiled using natural clay. Hand painted with natural pigments using a yucca fiber brush. Traditionally fired using sheep dung.

About this Award: Awarded for youth work that exceeds standard qualities of excellence in craftsmanship or visual appeal. Artists of age 17 and under are eligible.

Juror's Comments:
Dawn Cromwell: Very good design and workmanship.

Youth Award of Excellence ($100)
Courtesy of Jean Bassett
"Red Storm" by Dakota Chee, Diné

Description: Acrylic painting on canvas.