Melanie Yazzie
Encyclopedia
Melanie Yazzie is a Navajo
sculptor, painter
and printmaker.
in 1966. She is Navajo
of the , born for . She grew up on the Navajo Reservation
.
She first studied art at the Westtown School
in Pennsylvania. Yazzie earned a BFA at Arizona State University
in 1990 and an MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder
in 1993.
. Her art is accessible to the public on many levels, while being witty and colorful.
Her subject matter is significant because the serious undertones reference native post-colonial
dilemmas. Her work often brings images of women from many indigenous cultures to the fore. Thus her work references matrilineal systems and points to the possibility of female leadership.
A recurring motif in Yazzie's work has been Blue Bird flour sacks, which provided clothing material during her childhood.
In addition to teaching at the Institute of American Indian Arts
, the College of Santa Fe
, Boise State University
, and the University of Arizona
, Yazzie taught at the Pont Aven School of Contemporary Art
in France.
A selection of major exhibitions from the 1990s to present include “Between Two Worlds” (2008) at Arizona State University
, "Traveling" at the Heard West Museum (2006), "About Face: Self-Portraits by Native American, First Nations, and Inuit Artists" at the Wheelwright Museum (2005), "Making Connections" (2002) in Bulova, Russia, "Navajo in Gisborne" (1999) in Gisborne, New Zealand and "Watchful Eyes" (1994) at the Heard Museum
.
She is an associate professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder
. She teaches two-dimensional art.
The artist is included in books by Zena Pearlstone (About Face), Lucy Lippard (The Lure of the Local
) and Jackson Rushing (Native American Art in the Twentieth Century), and collected nationally and internationally in private and public collections.
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
sculptor, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and printmaker.
Background
Melanie Yazzie was born in Ganado, ArizonaGanado, Arizona
Ganado is a census-designated place in Apache County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,505 at the 2000 census.Ganado is part of the Navajo Nation...
in 1966. She is Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
of the , born for . She grew up on the Navajo Reservation
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
.
She first studied art at the Westtown School
Westtown School
Westtown School is a coeducational, college preparatory day and boarding school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.-About Westtown School:...
in Pennsylvania. Yazzie earned a BFA at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
in 1990 and an MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
in 1993.
Artwork
Melanie Yazzie works a wide range of media that include printmaking, painting, sculpting, and ceramics, as well as installation artInstallation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
. Her art is accessible to the public on many levels, while being witty and colorful.
Her subject matter is significant because the serious undertones reference native post-colonial
Postcolonialism
Post-colonialism is a specifically post-modern intellectual discourse that consists of reactions to, and analysis of, the cultural legacy of colonialism...
dilemmas. Her work often brings images of women from many indigenous cultures to the fore. Thus her work references matrilineal systems and points to the possibility of female leadership.
A recurring motif in Yazzie's work has been Blue Bird flour sacks, which provided clothing material during her childhood.
Professional career
Yazzie had lead several collaborative international projects, including ones with artists in Siberia, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Germany. A recent portfolio, "Hello Kitty and Pocahontas" examined world artists analysis of the commercialization of ethnic identity.In addition to teaching at the Institute of American Indian Arts
Institute of American Indian Arts
The Institute of American Indian Arts is a college focused on Native American art. It is situated in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is congressionally chartered, and was created by an executive order of former American President John F. Kennedy in 1962...
, the College of Santa Fe
College of Santa Fe
Santa Fe University of Art and Design is an institution of creative and performing arts based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The university offers programs in creative writing, theatre, art, graphic design, moving image arts , music, and photography, based on a liberal arts core curriculum...
, Boise State University
Boise State University
Boise State University is a public university located in Boise, Idaho. Originally founded in 1932 as a junior college by the Episcopal Church, the university became an independent institution in 1934, and has been awarding baccalaureate and master degrees since 1965...
, and the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, Yazzie taught at the Pont Aven School of Contemporary Art
Pont Aven School of Contemporary Art
Pont Aven School of Contemporary Art is an art school founded in 1993 by art historian Caroline Boyle-Turner as an international fine arts program for advanced under-graduate and post-graduate studies...
in France.
A selection of major exhibitions from the 1990s to present include “Between Two Worlds” (2008) at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, "Traveling" at the Heard West Museum (2006), "About Face: Self-Portraits by Native American, First Nations, and Inuit Artists" at the Wheelwright Museum (2005), "Making Connections" (2002) in Bulova, Russia, "Navajo in Gisborne" (1999) in Gisborne, New Zealand and "Watchful Eyes" (1994) at the Heard Museum
Heard Museum
The Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
.
She is an associate professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
. She teaches two-dimensional art.
The artist is included in books by Zena Pearlstone (About Face), Lucy Lippard (The Lure of the Local
The Lure of the Local: Sense of Place in a Multicentered Society
The Lure of the Local: Sense of Place in a Multicentered Society is a 1997 study of the sense of place, by American author and 1968 Guggenheim Fellowship winner Lucy Lippard. The phrase, coined by Lippard, in this study refers to a sense of place that an individual can have about where he lives, or...
) and Jackson Rushing (Native American Art in the Twentieth Century), and collected nationally and internationally in private and public collections.