Virtual Art Talk: Watch the recording of our members-only Virtual Art Talk featuring Bob Bauver, a specialist in historical silver jewelry and metalwork. Bauver, the curator of the exhibition Elegant Vessels: A Century of Southwest Silver Boxes, provides an in-depth look into the history and artistry of Indigenous silverwork.
About the Exhibition:
Elegant Vessels: A Century of Southwest Silver Boxes showcased stunning works of art spanning almost a century. While silver jewelry predominated by the late 1800s, silver boxes became a later addition, with the earliest known box created around 1908. Over the past century, Indigenous artists elevated silver boxes to new levels of expertise, blending utility with social commentary and personal expression.
The exhibition featured more than 75 boxes, from early works dating to c. 1914 through commissioned works made in 2022, including pieces by artists such as Leo Poblano (Zuni Pueblo), Leekya Deyuse (Zuni Pueblo), Kenneth Begay (Diné), Paul Saufkie (Hopi), Morris Robinson (Hopi), and Fred Peshlakai (Diné).
