Rick Manuel — Tohono O'odham/Pima Silversmith
Tohono O'odham|Gila River Pima silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Rick Manuel, a Tohono O'odham silversmith, was profiled in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
No hallmark is recorded for this artist in our sources yet. If you have a signed piece, we would love to see the mark.
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. 110), Rick Manuel was born in 1950 in Sacaton, Arizona, is registered with the Gila River Pima through his mother, and grew up in his father's village of Santa Rosa on the Tohono O'odham reservation; he is usually identified as Tohono O'odham. [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 110) reported that he was self-taught and began experimenting with overlay in 1976, having honed his cutting skills by sawing the bison or the Indian out of Indian-head nickels. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 110), his first overlay pieces used desert scenes from the area around his village, establishing the style of overlay that became the signature of his work. [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 111) recounts that for years he traveled in summer selling the jewelry he made along the way, once selling a large group of work to the Museum of the American Indian in New York. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 111), his newer designs drew on the desert around him, including ants and horned lizards and the plants used by basket weavers. [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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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.