Shaped by the Loom: Weaving Worlds in the American Southwest, opening at Bard Graduate Center (BGC) Gallery, will be the first exhibition to showcase the American Museum of Natural History’s collection of Indigenous textiles from the American Southwest. Approximately 20 items from this historic collection, acquired more than a century ago, will be shown alongside contemporary works by master weavers and visual artists. Shaped by the Loom, curated by Dr. Hadley Jensen (BGC PhD ’18) and advised by Diné cultural consultants and fifth-generation weavers Lynda Teller Pete and Barbara Teller Ornelas, will be on view at BGC from February 17 – July 9, 2023. Throughout the run of the exhibition, Navajo weavers, loom and toolmakers, natural dye experts, and multimedia artists will travel from the Southwest to lead workshops, artist demonstrations, and hands-on activities that provide cultural context and lived experience for the items on view.

Shaped by the Loom places Indigenous aesthetics at the center of Navajo textile production, highlighting six themes central to the weaver’s perspective: homeland and cosmology; ecology; dyeing and coloring; knowledge and process; design elements; and finally, value and exchange.

In addition to textiles, the exhibition will display:

Our digital publication will be the first online catalogue of the AMNH’s collection, providing free and accessible research content to the broadest possible audience of artists, educators, and scholars. Visitors will also encounter stunning panoramic views of the Navajo Nation, presented for the first time with 360-degree imaging.