A couple weeks ago Sam and I made a quick trip to Washington DC to see family and to see two special exhibits of fiber art. Despite frustrating weather problems that delayed our arrival almost a full day, I can report that the exhibit of Diné weaver DY Begay’s tapestries at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian was more than worth the trip. It’s on view until July 13, 2025, so you have plenty of time to make a plan to get there. Do it if you possibly can!
The title of this post mentions two good things. The other good thing is the exhibit Subversive Skilled Sublime: Fiber Art by Women at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian. I will report on that in next month’s post.
The retrospective of DY Begay's work is entitled Sublime Light--a perfect title. One of DY's gifts is her nuanced handling of color and value in wool yarns she has mostly dyed herself. These tapestries GLOW. Below is the very first tapestry in the exhibit.
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| DY Begay, Intended Vermillion, 2015. Wool and plant, insect and synthetic dyes. |
The artist states in the wall text that she was inspired by the Vermillion Cliffs of Arizona, red sandstone formations. They are described in the Diné language as "reddish rocks floating on the surface." The detail photo shows the subtle and surprising range of color. The lightest, brightest yellows and golds are clustered in the center and light seems to radiate outward, up and down, from there.
DY's use of color, rhythm and form interprets the landscape in a way
that perfectly conveys, to my mind, the peace of those endless
southwestern horizons. She prefers nearly monochromatic and analogous
palettes that enforce this feeling, and she relies on value contrast to
create drama and variety. Sometimes the value contrast is dramatic;
other times it is very subtle. Often the mesa forms and undulating bands of color seem to flicker with shadows. It was hard to tell whether these extremely subtle shadows were real variations in the tone of the yarns or the result of very slight ripples in the hanging tapestry. Either way, it works.
DY Begay's work is clearly rooted in Navajo tradition and yet stakes out new territory in weaving. The wool is mostly Churro wool from sheep she and her family raise and shear, and whose wool DY dyes and in some cases spins herself. DY's designs refer both to the very old Chief's blanket patterns of wide horizontal bands and to the wide horizons and flat-topped mesas of the Arizona landscape where she was born and still lives. She is deeply rooted in her culture and her home landscape and has transmuted them into woven expression that is dazzlingly contemporary.
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| DY Begay, Sunset Mesas, 2006. Wool and dye. |
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| DY Begay, detail, Sunset Mesas, 2006. Wool and dye. |
DY's landscapes sometimes show more realism, as seen in Tsegi Spider Rock below. Spider Rock is the twin rock spire in the center of the tapestry. It is located in Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, not far from DY's home territory of Tsélaní. In Navajo tradition, Spider Rock is associated with the deity Spider Woman, who gave the gift of weaving to the Diné people. More generally the area is treasured by the Navajo as a place of plentiful crops and grazing land, and also a natural fortress for protection and retreat from hostile forces.
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| DY Begay, Tsegi Spider Rock, 2007. Wool, plant and synthetic dyes. |
It was a special treat to see DY's preparatory sketch for this piece.
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| DY Begay, Preparatory sketch for Tsegi Spider Rock, 2007. Colored pencil on paper. |
Not all of DY's vistas refer to the southwestern desert. This seascape shows the artist's gift for choosing and juxtaposing subtle colors and tones to create the illusion of reflected light on water and distant mountains. As in the desert pieces, the rhythm of strong horizontals stacked above each other imparts a feeling of deep space and peace.
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| DY Begay, Náhookosjí (Winter in the North/Biboon Giiwedinong It is Winter in the North), 2017. Wool, mohair, cotton, silk, linen, and plant dyes. |
As with many dyers who use natural pigments, DY is fascinated by the possibilities of indigo. She says this piece embodies her "pursuit to capture the essence and healing qualities for the many subtle shades of indigo."
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| DY Begay, Enchanted Indigo, 2022. Wool and plant dye. |
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| DY Begay, detail, Enchanted Indigo, 2022. Wool and plant dye. |
Cochineal holds a similar fascination. I love the incredibly saturated color DY has achieved in this piece, by blending fifteen shades of cochineal-dyed yarn in a stunningly simple and strong composition.
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| DY Begay, Monumental Edge 2, 2020. Wool and plant, insect and synthetic dyes. |
It is tempting to share every single photograph I took of DY's tapestries in the exhibit, but my purpose here is just to whet your appetite for your own visit. If your plans don't allow you to travel to Washington in the next seven months, take heart. The catalog of the show is absolutely gorgeous. I cannot add much to Rebecca Mezoff's excellent and thorough review of the book, but I will second her hearty recommendation of it.
It's a large, hardcover book with color reproductions of all the pieces in the show, as well as photographs of DY herself, her family, and most especially her landscape. The walls of the exhibit that do not display tapestries contain giant wall-sized murals of the Arizona landscape, powerfully conveying the place the work springs from. The double-page photo spreads in the book do the same.
The catalog also includes essays by the three curators of the exhibit and other writers, including DY herself, describing the course of the artist's life, her cultural heritage and her development as a weaver. Chapter titles and every paragraph of DY's own essay are offered in Diné as well as English, making this book a welcome addition to discussions of works of art by Native Americans in their own language. I confess that in my first few trips through this book I have just savored the photographs. Now I look forward to settling in and reading the essays.
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| For many of the tapestries, the facing page contains text from DY's own journals in which she reflects on the piece. |
You can order the catalog directly from the museum. And if you haven't seen this video yet, a panel discussion with DY, Helena Hernmarck and Velma Kee Craig at the opening of the exhibit at the museum, check it out. You are in for a treat!
