Linda Nez, Carnival, 1992, commercial yarn, 43 x 57 1⁄2 in. (109.3 x 146.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1997.124.188
Copied
Artwork Details
- Title
- Carnival
- Artist
- Date
- 1992
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 43 x 57 1⁄2 in. (109.3 x 146.1 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- commercial yarn
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Architecture Exterior — commercial — recreation
- Object — other — sign
- Recreation — carnival
- Figure group
- Object Number
- 1997.124.188
Artwork Description
Every fall, thousands of people come to Shiprock, New Mexico, to enjoy the Northern Navajo Nation Fair, the oldest fair on the reservation. Nez’s textile captures the bustle of the crowd and the festive offerings such as carnival games, concession stands, amusement rides, and hot-air balloon rides. In the background, she includes the stunning landscape of Monument Valley and the aptly named West and East Mitten Buttes, with Merrick Butte in the center. Navajo fairgoers can be seen dressed in velvet blouses and skirts, shawls, cowboy hats, and deer hide moccasins. On the rollercoaster in the left corner, the wind rushes through the hair of the passengers and one is about to lose his hat!