Treasures II: Virtuosity and Variations featured many previously unseen works of art from the Center’s collections. Building on the positive response to Treasures of the Southwest, which opened in February 2017, the exhibition highlighted additional works from the Center’s holdings. The exhibition presented groupings of artworks and sculptures by individual artists, including Irving Toddy, Gene Kloss, Stanton Englehart, and DY Begay. By showcasing multiple works by each artist, the exhibition provided visitors with insight into the evolution of their styles and artistic approaches.
One of the featured artists, Irving Toddy, demonstrated significant variation in style. Born in 1951, he is the son of Beatien Yazz, an internationally renowned Navajo artist. Toddy received his B.A. in Commercial Art in 1983 and his M.A. in Painting in 1986, both from Utah State University. Among his numerous awards and honors are Best of Show at the Gallup Intertribal Indian Ceremonial; first-, second-, and third-place awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market; and the Patrick Hinds Swazo Award for the most promising young artist. Toddy worked in acrylic, oil, watercolor, pastel, pen and ink, and graphite. While he often depicted Southwestern themes, he also created works in the ledger style, which originated among Plains Indian tribes. Both of these styles were represented in the exhibition. In addition, he contributed illustrations to children’s books, including Cheyenne Again, D Is for Drum, Uncegila’s Seventh Spot, and Desert Digits.
Another artist whose work was presented at the Center for the first time was Gene Kloss. Born in Oakland, California, in 1903, Kloss graduated with honors in art from the University of California in 1924. The following year, she moved to San Francisco to attend the California School of Fine Arts. In 1925, she left art school and married Phillips Kloss. During their honeymoon, the couple traveled to Taos, New Mexico, where Kloss had her etching press, printer, and plates with her. The Southwest continued to inspire her etchings, and her work captured the essence of the mountains and people of New Mexico. The five aquatint prints featured in the exhibition were donated by the artist.
Also presented for the first time were a group of paintings from Stanton Englehart’s Women series, donated by Leo C. Brooks and Barbara B. Hanley. Englehart, born in nearby Lewis, Colorado, in 1931, taught art at Fort Lewis College for 30 years. His works are displayed throughout the campus, particularly his landscapes. The Women series represented a departure from his better-known landscapes and offered visitors insight into another dimension of his artistic practice.
The exhibition also featured textiles by master weaver DY Begay and her sisters, Berdine Begay and Berdina Charley. A fourth-generation Navajo (Diné) weaver, DY Begay possesses extensive knowledge of Southwestern textile traditions. She has participated in major art events, including the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and the Santa Fe Indian Market, and her works are represented in numerous museum collections throughout the United States. She has also been cited in and contributed to several publications as a textile scholar and has collaborated with the Center on multiple exhibitions, including providing commentary on The Durango Collection® for Treasures of the Southwest. The textiles included in Treasures II offered visitors a rare opportunity to explore artistry and variation within a single family.
Finally, the exhibition presented, for the first time, some of the largest textiles in the Center’s collections in the expansive middle gallery of the museum.