Shaped by the Loom: Weaving Worlds in the American Southwest invites you to explore the world of Navajo weaving, highlighting Diné history, culture, and cosmology, as well as the localized and land-based knowledge systems that guide the process behind the finished product. Bringing together Diné weavers and visual artists with historical items from the American Museum of Natural History, New York, this exhibition presents weaving as an art form, a cultural practice, and a lived experience. Learn more about these items through the artist interviews, essays, object studies, and interactive multimedia experiences featured in the sections below. 

To learn more about Shaped by the Loom, read an introduction by Hadley Jensen, the project’s curator.

Homeland, Creation, Cosmology

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Ecology

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Dyeing & Coloring

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A History of the Navajo Textile Collection at the American Museum of Natural History Ira Jacknis

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Dah iistł’ǫ́ bikéé’ yishááł (My Journey with the Loom) Lynda Teller Pete

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Items from the Navajo Textile Collection of the American Museum of Natural History

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Knowing, Making, Naming Hadley Jensen

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Techniques & Technologies

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Design Elements

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Value & Exchange

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