Coconino Center for the Arts – Flagstaff, Arizona
Navajo Rug Auction Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 5 p.m.
Preview 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Flagstaff Cultural Partners (FCP) and Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) host Flagstaff’s first Navajo Rug Auction on Saturday, June 14, 2008. The Auction will be held at the Coconino Center for the Arts and will feature 300 vintage and contemporary Navajo weavings from artists, consigners, and the R. B. Burnham & Co. Trading Post. Rug styles being auctioned include Two Grey Hills, Ganado, Teec Nos Pos, Yeis, Pictorial, Wide Ruins, Storm, Sandpainting, and Eye Dazzler.
A preview of all weavings in the auction begins at 10 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m. on June 14. The Auction begins promptly at 5 p.m. and is free to the public. A portion of the proceeds from this event will provide support for Flagstaff Cultural Partners and the Museum of Northern Arizona. The majority of the proceeds will go directly to the weavers and consigners.
Consignments will be accepted from the public for the Auction. Artists and other consigners are invited to bring their Navajo weavings to the Coconino Center for the Arts on Tuesday, June 10 through Thursday June 12 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. and on Friday, June 13 between 9 a.m. and 12 noon. Experts will be on hand to view, select, and assist with the pricing of consignments.
The Auction will be led by auctioneers from R. B. Burnham & Co. Trading Post and Collector’s Gallery in Sanders, Arizona. Bruce Burnham, his wife Virginia, and their family are well known for their work in trading Native art of the Four Corners region for the last five generations. Burnham has been a trader to the Navajo for over forty years and is also the auctioneer for Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona. The Burnham family is known for their encouragement of innovation and quality in Navajo textiles and their expertise in buying, selling, and trading has earned them the respect of area collectors and peers nationwide.
Specialists and experts in the field of American Indian art and Navajo weaving will be on-site to identify hand-spun, hand-carded, and vintage rugs versus rugs made from acrylic yarns, to ensure quality items and prices for the Auction. Information on how to evaluate and buy Navajo rugs will be available at the event.
Navajo rug auctions are an excellent opportunity to learn about American Indian art. Before the auction, hold rugs and appreciate them up close. Experts in the field of Navajo weaving and culture will be available during the auction to discuss specific rugs, artists, and other details about individual weavings.
The breadth of artists and styles, and the opportunity to bid rather than pay a set price has made rug auctions an affordable way to collect high quality rugs. Prices can range from as low as $50 to as high as several thousand dollars.
The Coconino Center for the Arts is located at 2300 N. Fort Valley Road in Flagstaff, Arizona on Hwy 180, on the way to the Museum of Northern Arizona and the Grand Canyon. Call (928) 779-2300 or visit www.culturalpartners.org for more information.