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EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
(subject to change)

2001

Votes for Women:
Unfinished Business


Susan B. Anthony

A traveling panel
exhibition on the
history of the women's
suffragette movement
created by the
Huntington Library.
This Ukiah presentation
is made possible through
the support of the
California Council for
the Humanities.
January 29 - March 2
Ukiah Civic Center
300 Seminary Ave.
Mon. - Fri. 8 - 5

Gala Museum
Reopening
Dinner, Music, Auction,
and Preview of the
Grace Hudson Painting
Exhibition (led by Grace
Hudson!) in the
Hart Gallery.
Tickets: 707-467-2836
June 2, 5:30 PM
At the Museum

Mixed Media
Contemporary Art
Elemental Interpretations
Featuring the work of
Mendocino County
ceramicist Doug Browe,
sculptor and painter
Rebecca Johnson,
and photographer
Tom Liden.
Opening Reception:
June 30, 7 - 9 PM
At the Museum

Link to Previous Shows:

Drawing From Nature, 1999
The 4th Dimension, 2000
Current GHM Exhibit

"A Continuous Thread" explores and compares cross influences of Navajo weaving (Teec Nos Pos area) and the Rio Grande textiles of Spanish-American settlers of New Mexico and Colorado. The forty large rugs and blankets on display (dating from the mid 1800's through the early 1900's) represent a key portion of San Francisco Bay Area resident Ruth Belikove's important collection of Southwestern arts. This exhibit provides a unique opportunity to compare the development of these two acclaimed Southwestern weaving traditions.

Like a continuous thread, common artistic influences and a similar historical progression intertwine Navajo and Spanish-American Rio Grande textiles. Both weaving traditions sprang from a need to produce wearing apparel in this rugged and isolated location. Later trade - first with Mexico, then expanding to the United States with the coming of the Americans and the railroads - developed them into important commodities and noted regional exports.

Nomadic Navajo Indians migrated into the Southwest shortly before the Spanish arrived in 1540. They learned spinning and weaving skills from the Pueblo Indians, utilizing their portable vertical loom, and adopted the use of wool from the Spanish. A dazzling array of Navajo textiles developed from a base of aboriginal cultural symbols and Mexican design influences. Later American traders encouraged the evolution of regional style rugs identified with specific trading posts, such as the complex and colorful weavings (reminiscent of Oriental rugs) from the Teec Nos Pos area, which are favored by collector Ruth Belicove.

Though receiving less attention than Navajo weavers, Hispanic colonists living along the Rio Grande basin were also engaged in extensive textile production. They wove striking blankets on a fixed treadle loom. This loom, of European heritage, produced long, narrow, lengths of cloth. Thus, weavers commonly created two matching pieces of cloth which they sewed together to achieve the width they desired.

Both of the weaving traditions featured in this exhibit arose from cultures transplanted to the Southwest area. They were influenced - in designs, styles, and techniques - by the art of their neighbors, external developments in yarns and dyes, and changing market demands. Both are the products of distinct cultural heritages and histories, and each is justly celebrated for its technical achievements and sheer splendor.

Collector Ruth Bellicove found herself captured by the rich colors and complex designs of these textiles. As a recent widow from Metuchen, New Jersey, Belicove struck up an acquaintance with a Southwestern art expert when their paths accidently crossed in New York. "The more he talked, the more I learned," says Bellicove of her mentor. Early on in their relationship, she remembers thinking, "How could anyone have such a passion for rugs?" But before long, she too was hooked - collecting, buying, and selling. "I'm running a fever," she says of her passion. "These pieces nourish my soul." A former school librarian, Belikove believes in education and sharing her collection with the public. Through such exhibitions as the Grace Hudson Museum's "A Continuous Thread", a wider public is exposed to the artistry and rich cultural tradition inherent in these textiles.

Bellicove hopes others catch the fever too.

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