Mamie Deschillie
Mamie Deschillie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1920 Burnham, Navajo Nation, New Mexico |
| Died | 2010 (aged 89–90) Farmington, New Mexico |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Folk Art |
Mamie Deschillie (1920–2010) was a Navajo folk artist.[1]
Born in either Chaco[2] or Burnham, New Mexico,[3] on the Navajo Nation Reservation, Deschillie lived near Farmington. Described at her death as "a traditional Navajo", she spoke limited English, and frequently wore velvet. Mother of five children, she became an artist after the death of her husband, Chee Ford Deschillie, in 1979.[2] She had little formal education, but in childhood learned to weave, and went on to gain some fame for her weaving before moving into other artistic pursuits. She was known for making mud toys of sun-dried clay, mainly in animal forms such as those of cows, sheep, buffalo, and horses and riders. She would decorate them with fur, cloth, or jewelry before touching them up with paint. In the 1980s she began to make cutouts of cardboard, also decorated with found objects and pieces of jewelry. Her smallest piece was a ten-inch horse and female rider; larger pieces extend up to three feet in height.[4]
Several of Deschillie's works are in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[1] Her work is also held by the Museum of Northern Arizona[5] and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Mamie Deschillie". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved Apr 19, 2019.
- ^ a b "Mamie Deschellie – Navajo "Accidental Artist" 1910-2010 | Detour Art". www.detourart.com. Retrieved Apr 19, 2019.
- ^ "Mamie Deschillie | Shiprock Santa Fe". www.shiprocksantafe.com. Retrieved Apr 19, 2019.
- ^ Gerard C. Wertkin (2 August 2004). Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-95614-1.
- ^ "» Mamie Deschillie". musnaz.org/. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ "» Mamie Deschillie". wheelwright.org. Retrieved Apr 19, 2019.
External links[edit]
- images of Deschillie's work on Invaluable
- 1920 births
- 2010 deaths
- Navajo women artists
- People from San Juan County, New Mexico
- Sculptors from New Mexico
- Native American women sculptors
- 20th-century American sculptors
- 20th-century American women sculptors
- 20th-century Native American artists
- 21st-century American sculptors
- 21st-century American women sculptors
- 21st-century Native American artists
- 20th-century Native American women
- 21st-century Native American women