CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA.- The University of Virginia Art Museum presents "Treasures from the Earth - Art of Southwestern Native America," on view through June 9, 2002. Native Americans living in the southwestern United States, including the Apache, Navajo, and Pueblo peoples, excelled in making pottery, baskets, textiles and jewelry, as evidenced by these works drawn from the Museum's permanent collection. Native Americans created these works during the historic period dating from 880 to the mid-20th century.



For baskets, environment, tradition and use dictate choices of materials, patterns and methods of construction. Pueblo dwellers from San Ildefonso, Acoma, and Zuni use their local clay to develop distinctive pottery. The pots are decorated with images that connect their users with natural elements—air, water, the sun—so important to the ongoing cycle of life. Navajo weavers work within a tradition that requires harmonious colors and balance of design as essential aesthetic qualities of their work. These pieces reflect traditional Native American values, materials, and methods that contribute to maintaining the delicate balance necessary between man and the earth.