Native Artists Make Toys
Exhibition Dates
August 7, 2021 - August 4, 2023
Location Details
On display on the lower level of the museum.
Featured Image Details Below
The making of toys and games is universal; regardless of people, time and place it is seen in both the western and Indigenous world. There are many similarities and differences created by both societies which can be seen in toys such as dolls, instruments, and games. Family or community members created toys for children which, in some cases, would not only hold value as a treasured possession but also as a piece of art.
There have been many Native artists who started their careers by making toys as a means of artistic expression, and some are now renowned for their toys. Featured was Navajo folk artist Mamie Deschillie (1920–2010) widely acclaimed contemporary Navajo folk artist. Deschillie first pieces were sun-baked mud toys like those she made as a child. She dressed the toys in scraps of cloth and painted watercolor details. The toys earned her immediate notice for her innovative and imaginative creativity. The child-like sense of fun evident in her work may be partly due to the time she spent volunteering to accompany Navajo children on the school buses. Mamie’s pieces are prized by collectors throughout the southwest and included in museum collections.
In some cases, Indigenous toys not only served as a means of entertainment but as a vehicle for teaching values and role responsibilities within a culture. Toys taught children about their future roles within communities. A small bow and arrow set would familiarize a child with hunting while honing their skills of accuracy.
Toys that needed clothes or jewelry would enforce roles as creators and nurturers while introducing clothes making, weaving, jewelry, and beading. Certain toys served to pass on religious teaching. Often ceremonial or religious contexts were woven into the purpose of playing a game, although many were played purely for delight.
It seems fitting that some well-known Native artists were known for creating toys for children. Ultimately, there has been an intrinsically playful element of the Native American creative process, which celebrates never-ending imagination and unwavering exploration that includes making and playing with toys and basically having fun.
The exhibit was co-curated by 2021 Wheelwright Museum Intern, Nataani Hanley-Moraga (Navajo/ Húnkpapȟa Lakota).
Featured Image Details
(Left to Right)
- Unknown Artist (Apache)
- Untitled (Basket), c. pre-1930
- Willow and devil’s claw
- Annie Antone, b. 1955 (Tohono O’odham)
- Untitled (Miniature Basket), c. 1990
- Yucca and aniline dye
- Unknown Artist (Akimel O’odham)
- Untitled (Basket Jar), c. 1900
- Willow and devil’s claw
- Unknown Artist (Apache)
- Untitled (Basket), c. 1900
- Willow and devil’s claw
- Linda Lou Guzman, n.d. (White Mountain Apache)
- Untitled (Basket), c. 1990
- Devils’ claw and yucca
Previously On View
January 11, 1987 – February 21, 1987
Women of Sweetgrass, Cedar, and Sage: Contemporary Art by Native American Women
The Native American Arts and Service Organization sponsored traveling exhibit, Women of Sweetgrass, Cedar, and Sage-Contemporary Art by Native American Women.
The exhibition focused on Hopi weaver, Ramona Sakiestewa’s work and included traditional, contemporary, and commissioned pieces.
Admission: $10.00
Free for Museum Members, Native Americans, children under 12, students with a valid ID, veterans and active military.
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