Virtual Art Tour

Rick Nez, Native American, 1960

Navaho Hour

Kirtland, N.M. resident, sculptor Rick Nez has always dreamed of becoming an artist. Having now become an artist, Nez now dreams of creating monumental sculptures and of having bronze sculptures made of his best stone works.

Nez is a spiritually and culturally driven person. The subject matter for his stone sculptures comes from his people - the Navajo, both present and past - his moods, his beliefs and his environment.

Nez wrote the following regarding Navajo Hour: "The artwork Navajo Hour is made from alabaster . . . and is all one piece of artwork. The young Navajo girl is spinning wool into strings to produce her art, a Navajo rug weaving. Countless hours of hard labor are put into making a tapestry. Many Navajos diligently raise their livestock for their livelihood. Herding sheep and taking care of them until it’s time to sheer the wool is hard work . . . . Once sheered and cleaned, the wool is dyed with herbs and natural minerals to give it color. A loom is prepared to start the designs and when it is finished it is payday. It is not the dollars that count, but the joy of experiencing oneself and expressing harmony and balance with nature. While there is a lack of communication in some people’s lives, such as having no telephones, sometimes a radio will do just as good to transmit messages through the air in case of an emergency or just having a good Squaw dance at a nearby sheep camp." Navajo Hour is the name of a one-hour radio program that keeps the different Navajo pueblos in touch with one another.