Michael Kabotie and Delbridge Honanie, Journey of the Human Spirit – The Emergence (Panel 1), 2001, acrylic on canvas.
Mural Painting by Hopi Artists on Display for the First Time Outside of Arizona in the Dallas Museum of Art’s Hopi Visions: Journey of the Human Spirit
Dallas, TX—January 9, 2018— Hopi Visions: Journey of the Human Spirit features a mural painting by Hopi artists Michael Kabotie and Delbridge Honanie complemented by ancient to contemporary objects from the DMA's collection. On view at the Dallas Museum of Art January 7 through December 2, 2018, the exhibition marks the first time the Journey of the Human Spirit mural will be on view outside of Arizona and the Museum of Northern Arizona.
The mural is nearly five feet tall and forty-eight feet long, with six distinct but interconnected panels. The panels narrate the history of the Hopi people, from the mythic emergence, through the arrival of Europeans, to the rebirth of Hopi traditions in the information age. The contemporary mural was inspired by figural wall paintings created prior to European contact and concludes with hope for greater human connection.
“We are honored to work with the Museum of Northern Arizona to bring to Dallas this impressive, expansive, and beautiful mural depicting the history of the Hopi people,” said the DMA Eugene McDermott Director Dr. Agustín Arteaga. “Much like the works of art on view, we hope to convey Hopi values to non-Hopi audiences through this exhibition and to express Hopi heritage and culture to all.”
In addition to the mural, Hopi Visions will also include ancestral Sikyatki Polychrome ceramic vessels and modern kachina (katsina) dolls, such as one of Palhik Mana. The exhibition also features works by other contemporary Hopi artists, including Ed Kabotie, son of Michael Kabotie, one of the Journey of the Human Spirit muralists. Ed’s drawing Path to Balance, featured in the exhibition, is a tribute to his father. The drawing depicts nine universal stages of the human experience inspired by his father's life, teachings, and example, and demonstrated by the metaphor of Hopi clowning.
“It has been the greatest pleasure to work with the Museum of Northern Arizona and their longstanding collaboration with Hopi artists to share ancestral to contemporary visual arts with the Dallas Fort–Worth community,” stated Dr. Kimberly L. Jones, The Ellen and Harry S. Parker III Assistant Curator of the Arts of the Americas at the DMA.
Hopi Visions: Journey of the Human Spirit is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and curated by Dr. Kimberly L. Jones, The Ellen and Harry S. Parker III Assistant Curator of the Arts of the Americas at the Dallas Museum of Art. Hopi Visions: Journey of the Human Spirit is included in the Museum’s daily free general admission.
