Mą’ii doo Sǫ’ Baa Hane’: ‘Substance of Stars’ extends to luxury Utah resort
Navajo Times | Kianna Joe
The exhibit, “Substance of Stars,” at the Heard Museum welcomes viewers with Steven Yazzie's artwork of the constellations behind the Shiprock Pinnacle at night.
PHOENIX
Coyote and the stars-inspired art reaches downtown Phoenix and now extends to a Utah resort.
“Substance of Stars” is a culmination of storytelling through different art mediums of four Native American communities: Diné, O’odham, Central Yupik of Alaska, and Haudenosaunee, specifically the Seneca in New York.
For the Diné art section, Steven Yazzie contributed paintings, videos, and graphics illustrating his perspective of the traditional story, Coyote and the Stars.
The three-year project began to acknowledge the foundation of Native American art inspiration.
Velma Craig, Heard Museum’s Navajo assistant curator, said, “Firstly, we’re trying to figure out ways to tell origin stories or focus on cultural knowledge without divulging too much knowledge for the public, which may not be appropriate, and we do want to be informative and educational.”
The museum acknowledges traditional stories should be respected. Craig said there’s value in the knowledge of traditional stories, which must be recognized.
Craig grew up in Window Rock. She is Naasht’ézhí Tábąąhá and born for Tódích’íi’nii.
To read more, pick up the April 20 edition of the Navajo Times.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow