Dolls are popular tourist-trade items throughout Mexico and northern Central America. The styles of the dolls have changed over the decades, with some adopting a more generic or international “stuffed toy” form; the dolls continue, however, to be adorned with traditional dress, and this has provided a valuable record of changes in these traditions over time. Some dolls are … [Read more...] about Mesoamerican Dolls: Researched by Ngozi Ekeke
Oaxacan metal art, also known as hojalata or “tin art,” is a folk art development that became popular on the tourist trade in the 20th century. While the use of tin is relatively recent, this artform has deep roots in Precolumbian Mesoamerican metallurgy. Artists of the Postclassic period (900-1521 CE) Mixtec cultures of Oaxaca created elaborate metalwork jewelry designs in … [Read more...] about Oaxacan Metal Folk Art: Researched by Codee Ratliff
This Algerian pouring vessel was created and decorated in the tradition of the Kabyle-Berber culture, and it was intended for use in the traditional storage and serving of drinking liquids. Like other Algerian pottery, the vessel was hand-thrown in red terracotta clay and then decorated with colored mineral slips using brushes of goat hair set into wet clay … [Read more...] about Algerian Pouring Vessel: Researched, Conserved, and Reconstructed by Sabrina Osment
These two cylindrical, elaborately beaded forms used as keychain fobs are pieces that actually originate from the beaded handles made for Lakota prayer feathers. Prayer feathers are used in smudging ceremonies, which are often done during healing rituals. In this ceremony, a healer or religious specialist burns a smudge stick … [Read more...] about Beaded Keychain Fobs: Researched, Conserved, and Restored by Lindsey VanDieren
Dog Stack with Ibex and Frog was created by a local artist of the Ozarks, John Tygart. Educated in the Fine Arts at Crowder College and Missouri State University, Tygart went on to work at the Springfield Art Museum, teaching ceramics to members of the Springfield community. In 1987, he and his wife Jacqueline opened a sculpture and pottery studio in … [Read more...] about Dog Stack with Ibex and Frog: Researched, Conserved, and Restored by Whitney Mosley