Tree of Seven Hearts by Shonto Begay, 2014
The Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) presents Shonto Begay: May of My Heart, on view June 22-October 19 in the Museum’s Locket Fine Art Gallery. The exhibition features 30 works by Navajo artist, author and Flagstaff resident Shonto Begay.
Map of My Heart spans 30 years of Begay’s career as a professional artist and celebrates his close relationships with family, culture and the land he calls home. Autobiographical in nature, the exhibition is rooted with Begay’s signature painting “Tree of Seven Hearts,” inspired by his traditional hogan birthplace on the Navajo Nation. The collection features mythic heroes, the insides of boarding schools, dusty rodeo days, family portraits and colorful landscapes while revealing the artist’s constant struggle for balance and harmony between his natural, ancient world and contemporary cultures. Begay’s loose and fluid brushstrokes animate the surface of his paintings, bringing vitality to his thought provoking narratives.
“Begay’s work is an outstanding perspective on contemporary Navajo life and culture integrated with great respect for his traditions and stories,” said Alan Petersen, MNA’s Curator of Fine Art.
Begay, 60, was born Dineh’ (Navajo) and is one of 16 children. His mother is a traditional Navajo rug weaver from the Bitter Water Clan and his father was a medicine man born to the Salt Clan. He grew up herding sheep in Kletha Valley, located in Shonto, Ariz. and attended the Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools on the Navajo Reservation. He received an Associates of Fine Art degree at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M. and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from California College of Arts and Crafts. A professional artist since 1983, Begay has written and illustrated more than a dozen books, including Shonto Begay, Navajo Visions and Voices Across the Mesa and his award-winning artwork is collected by galleries and museums worldwide.
“It is a great honor and a very important plateau in any artist’s career to let the public look back on the road they travelled and see the beauty and obstacles that came with getting here,” said Begay.
Map of My Heart runs through October 19. The exhibition will be unveiled to attendees of the 8th Annual Gala fundraising event on June 21, and Begay’s signature painting will be included in the gala live auction. A curator’s and artist’s brunch is scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 22. Begay will give a slide show presentation at 2 p.m. that is open to the public and included with admission.
Details
Exhibition Dates June 22-October 19, 2014
8th Annual Gala Featuring Shonto Begay “Map of My Heart”
June 21, 2014, 5 p.m., $250 per person
8th Annual Gala Brunch June 22, 2014, 10 a.m., $45 per person
Slide Talk with Shonto Begay June 22, 2 p.m., free with admission
The Museum of Northern Arizona is located at 3101 N. Fort Valley Road in Flagstaff, Ariz. Admission is $10 adult, $9 senior (65+), $7 student, and $6 youth. Children 10 and under are free.
To learn more about the Museum of Northern Arizona, visit musnaz.org or call 928.774.5213.