above, left to right: Pendants by Charles Supplee (Hopi), Donnie Supplee (Hopi), Verma Nequatewa “Sonwai” (Hopi) and Dina Huntinghorse(Wichita) at Faust Gallery.

Collectors attending the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market this year are invited to Scottsdale to celebrate Faust Gallery’s anniversary as one of the leading Native art galleries in the country. Owner Bill Faust, the nephew of the late legendary art dealer Lovena Ohl, showcases his collection of exquisite jewelry by Native artisans who continue to invigorate the industry with new materials and designs.

Verma Nequatewa (Hopi), niece of renowned jeweler Charles Loloma, combines both silver and gold to create works that transcend typical Native jewelry, “putting clichés to rest,” Faust says. Look for Harvey Begay’s (Navajo) blending of gold, diamonds, shell and other precious metals and gemstones with traditional designs, such as the “Eternal Life” symbol intricately patterned on one of his bracelets. Works by Dina Huntinghorse (Wichita) and other jewelers are complemented by textiles, katsinas, beadwork, paintings and sculpture by leading master and emerging Native artists of the Southwest.

King Galleries, located across the street from Faust, is of particular interest to pottery collectors. Founder and director Charles King is also celebrating his 10th anniversary, representing of many of today’s leading Pueblo potters. King’s longtime friendship with Faust led to a partnership that adds convenience for collectors through the galleries’ complementary offerings. Each piece of pottery in the gallery is handmade, stone polished and painted, and almost all are traditionally fired. “Tradition with a twist” is how King describes the featured work of Santa Clara potter LuAnn Tafoya. The daughter of renowned potter Margaret Tafoya, LuAnn has continued her mother’s legacy of large-scale vessels, which remains unique to the Tafoya family. Her high polish and use of traditional shapes and firing techniques yield spectacular masterpieces in clay.

Margaret Tafoya’s legacy also continues through the technical superiority in the innovative as well as traditional designs and presentations in the works of her grandson, Nathan Youngblood. A sixth-generation potter, Youngblood preserves the ancestral philosophy of his grandmother and mother, Mela, both of whom instilled in him that “clay is a gift; it is a privilege that the Clay Mother gives us.” King showcases Youngblood’s diligently sculpted pottery on March 4 in an exhibition titled Nathan Youngblood: Contemporary Carved Clay. On March 23, King features LuAnn Tafoya: Reviving the Storage Jar. Both artists will be present.

Faust Gallery
7103 E. Main St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480/946-6345

King Galleries of Scottsdale
7100 E. Main St., #1
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480/481-0187 or 800/394-1843