Cheyenne Harris — Navajo/Diné Silversmith
Navajo (Diné) silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Cheyenne Harris, a Navajo jeweler, was profiled in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
Recorded mark: CHEYENNE HARRIS (etched) (Hougart (2022)).
From the Library: Bahti, Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers (2007)
A 2007 profile, reviewed and corrected by the artists themselves before publication. Anything described as current describes 2006-2007, not today.
According to Bahti (2007, p. 49), Cheyenne Harris, born in Phoenix in 1963, learned silverwork from her mother, Roberta Multine, who had learned from her father, Oscar Multine, and grandfather, Henry Yazzie, and in 1968 studied with Kenneth Begay at Navajo Community College. [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 49) reported that in high school she sold work, mostly rings and earrings, primarily to the Heard Museum gift shop. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 50), she studied jewelry at Northern Arizona University, entered Arizona State University's MFA program in jewelry, and took a year off to teach at the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe. [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 51) wrote that the painter Tony Abeyta encouraged her to enter Santa Fe Indian Market, which she did in 1987. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 51), an admirer of the English silversmith Arthur Stone, she made hollowware and sterling flatware, and as of 2007 was working more in gold, including gold on silver and silver on gold. [1]
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003, p. 171) recorded Cheyenne Harris as Navajo/Northern Cheyenne, born in 1963 in Phoenix, educated at Northern Arizona University and the University of Massachusetts, and named the Finnish designer Heikki Seppa and the Korean designer Komelia Okim as her teachers. [3]
Schaaf (2003, p. 172) listed a first prize for bracelets at the 2000 Indian Market, fellowships from SWAIA and the American Indian Graduate Center, and her work in the 2002 exhibition Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 1 at the American Craft Museum in New York. [3]
Schaaf (2003) wrote that
“her roots reflect four generations of Navajo silversmiths”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 172 [3]
Field Notes by Mateo James
I notice two small differences. Bahti has her first Indian Market in 1987, while Schaaf's 2003 entry lists her showing there from 1989, and Schaaf gives her nation as Navajo/Northern Cheyenne where this page says Navajo. I show both as printed.
Sources
- Bahti, Mark. Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers. Tucson: Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2007. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2007.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022. Cited for the recorded hallmark.
- Schaaf, Gregory, with Angie Yan Schaaf. American Indian Jewelry I: 1,200 Artist Biographies, ca. 1800-present. American Indian Art Series, Vol. 5. Santa Fe: CIAC Press, 2003. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.
Know more about Cheyenne? Contact T.Skies.
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and is compiled from published sources, cited above. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.