Art Batala — Hopi Silversmith
Art Batala learned at Hopicrafts under Glenn Lucas, according to Margaret Nickelson Wright's Hopi Silver, a register of Hopi smiths and their hallmarks, which records his start at Mishongnovi in 1975 (Wright 2003, p. 89). Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks names him among Glenn Lucas's students (Hougart 2022, p. 200).
A belt buckle he made appears in Theda Bassman's The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry (Bassman 1993, p. 37). Hougart lists him as "Art Batala (Hopi)," active since 1975 and working in overlay (Hougart 2022, p. 45).
His hallmark
Wright labels his mark "Fox Ears & Initials, Fox" (Wright 2003, p. 89), and indexes it as "Fox Ears and Fox" (Wright 2003, p. 114). Hougart gives his marks as "A; A B (conjoined, with fox ears or a fox head)" (Hougart 2022, p. 45).
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References
- Wright, Margaret Nickelson. Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing. Revised edition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003.
- Bassman, Theda. The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry. Photography by Gene Balzer. Walnut, California: Kiva Publishing, 1993.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks: Silversmiths, Designers, Guilds and Traders. 5th edition. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and compiled from published references. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.