Awa Tsireh: Pueblo Painter and Metalsmith

Alfonso Roybal, better known as Awa Tsireh (Cat Tail Bird in the Tewa language), was born in the small pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico, in 1898. He became arguably the finest Native American painter of the first half of the twentieth century. To date, the authors have documented more than four hundred of Awa Tsireh’s paintings in numerous private collections and more than thirty museums. Awa Tsireh’s metalwork in silver, copper, and aluminum is a completely different story. This book brings together more of his metalwork than has previously been shown in one setting. Awa Tsireh created jewelry, platters, and other serviceware at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post in Manitou Springs, Colorado, where he worked with other Native metalsmiths, many to date unidentified, in the summer months during the 1930s and 1940s. Rarely has Awa Tsireh’s metalwork bought by Trading Post visitors made its way into museum collections. Awa Tsireh’s recognizable and charming imagery and the quality of his hand and imagination, however, illuminate all of his pieces. His metalwork is further evidence that the Pueblo artist’s talent transcended medium, material, and milieu. This book will coincide with an exhibition at the Heard Museum November 3, 2017 through July 15, 2018. Published by the Heard Museum.