Exhibit opens: April 18, 2015
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A new exhibit, “Spider Woman’s Legacy,” opens at the San Bernardino County Museum on Saturday, April 18. The exhibit, featuring Navajo rugs from the museum’s permanent collections, will run through the month of August and is included with paid museum admission.
Spanish explorers in the late 1700s recognized Navajo weaving as exceptional. In the Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, Dr. Washing Matthews said in 1882, “It may be safely stated that with no native tribe in America, north of the Mexican boundary, has the art of weaving been carried to greater perfection than among the Navajos.” Navajo blankets were highly prized by other Native American tribes in the Plains and Southwest, and their value as trade items continued during Western Expansion. They are still sought by collectors today.
“Spider Woman’s Legacy” reviews the history of Navajo weaving, discusses regional styles, and invites visitors to try their hand at weaving at interactive stations, but the highlights are the nearly two dozen Navajo rugs, dating from the turn of the last century to about 1970. Visitors can also view supplemental displays of Navajo weaving in the museum’s Hall of Anthropology.
“Spider Woman’s Legacy” and the County Museum’s other exciting events and exhibits reflect the effort by the Board of Supervisors to achieve the Countywide Vision by celebrating arts, culture, and education in the county, creating quality of life for residents and visitors. The exhibit is supported in part by the San Bernardino County Museum Association.
The San Bernardino County Museum is at 2024 Orange Tree Lane, at the California Street exit from Interstate 10 in Redlands. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 am to 5pm. General admission is $10 (adult), $8 (military or senior), $7 (student), and $5 (child aged 5 to 12). Children under five and Museum Association members are admitted free. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.sbcountymuseum.org. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities.
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