Michael Roanhorse (Crawford)
Overview
Michael Roanhorse (Crawford) (born 1975) is a Navajo silversmith working in a modern register: three-dimensional jewelry, tufa and sand casting, textured surfaces, and sculpture, in silver and gold. Hougart also documents inside stamp work, and records him as a multiple award winner.
He is a son of Eugene Crawford and brother of Mark Roanhorse, a caster in his own right. His documented mark is his full name: MICHAEL ROANHORSE.
The Mark
"Michael Roanhorse (Crawford) (1975-; Navajo). Modern jewelry; three-dimensional; tufa and sand casting; textured surfaces; sculpture; silver, gold. Inside stamp work. Son of Eugene Crawford. Brother of Mark Roanhorse. Multiple award winner. Mark: MICHAEL ROANHORSE"
— Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022).
The marks as documented in Hougart's hallmark reference: MICHAEL ROANHORSE.
References
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
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From the Library: Bahti, Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers (2007)
2007 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2007, not today.
According to Bahti (2007, p. 35), the family name Crawford was imposed when an outsider decided that his great-great-grandfather's name, which translates as Roanhorse, should be changed to something English; as of 2007 Michael planned a new hallmark, Michael Roanhorse, to reclaim the family name. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 36), in 1995, at age twenty, Michael took his work, mostly conchas, to Santa Fe, where shop after shop turned it down until the Brown Cow Saddle Blanket Company bought it and ordered silver-mounted horse bridles, giving him his first show in 1998. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 37), Michael and Mark had their first booth together at the Santa Fe Indian Market in 2004 (they had entered work in 2002), and their mentors included silversmiths Arlan Ben, Ric Charlie and Vernon Hoskie. [1]
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.
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Name card shown; hallmark photo to come.