Hopi artworks, artifacts showcased at Dallas Museum of Art

Unrecorded Hopi artist(s), ‘Palhik Mana’ (Water-Sipping Maiden), c. 1920–30, wood, paints and wool, Dallas Museum of Art, given in memory of Congressman James M. Collins by his family, 1993.71; Michael Kabotie and Delbridge Honanie, ‘Journey of the Human Spirit – The Emergence (Panel 1),’ 2001, acrylic on canvas, Courtesy of the Museum of Northern Arizona, © Gene Balzer; unrecorded ancestral Pueblo artist(s), Sikyatki polychrome bowl, A.D. 1450–1629, ceramic and paints, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of The Dozier Foundation, 1990.249

DALLAS — “Hopi Visions: Journey of the Human Spirit,” a new exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art, features a mural painting by Hopi artists Michael Kabotie and Delbridge Honanie complemented by ancient to contemporary objects from the museum’s collection. On view at the Dallas Museum of Art now through Dec. 2, the exhibition marks the first time the Journey of the Human Spirit mural will be on view outside of Arizona and the Museum of Northern Arizona.

The mural is nearly 5 feet tall and 48 feet long, with six distinct but interconnected panels. The panels narrate the history of the Hopi people, from the mythic emergence, through the arrival of Europeans, to the rebirth of Hopi traditions in the information age. The contemporary mural was inspired by figural wall paintings created prior to European contact and concludes with hope for greater human connection.

“We are honored to work with the Museum of Northern Arizona to bring to Dallas this impressive, expansive, and beautiful mural depicting the history of the Hopi people,” said Dr. Agustín Arteaga, director of the DMA. “Much like the works of art on view, we hope to convey Hopi values to non-Hopi audiences through this exhibition and to express Hopi heritage and culture to all.”

In addition to the mural, Hopi Visions will also include ancestral Sikyatki polychrome ceramic vessels and modern kachina (katsina) dolls, such as one of Palhik Mana. The exhibition also features works by other contemporary Hopi artists, including Ed Kabotie, son of Michael Kabotie, one of the Journey of the Human Spirit muralists. Kabotie’s drawing Path to Balance, featured in the exhibition, is a tribute to his father. The drawing depicts nine universal stages of the human experience inspired by his father’s life, teachings and example, and demonstrated by the metaphor of Hopi clowning.

“Hopi Visions: Journey of the Human Spirit” is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and curated by Dr. Kimberly L. Jones, assistant curator of the Arts of the Americas at the Dallas Museum of Art.

The exhibition is included in the museum’s daily free general admission.