Maxwell Museum to hold annual Navajo rug fund-raiser
November 16, 2022
Every Navajo rug is a unique piece that starts with raising the sheep and goats, which are then shorn and then the wool carded, spun, dyed, and finally woven, all by hand, into a rug using traditional, contemporary, and historic themes. Rugs are not just pieces of home décor but rather works of textile art highly prized by collectors that can fetch huge sums when sold.
The University of New Mexico’s Maxwell Museum of Anthropology will once again hold its annual Navajo rug auction fund-raiser. The rug auction is the result of a long-standing collaboration between the Maxwell Museum and R.B. Burnham & Company of Arizona, explained Carla Sinopoli, museum director and professor of Anthropology. The Burnhams have been trading with Diné (Navajo) and Pueblo artists for five generations.
The Maxwell Museum receives the 10 percent buyer's premium at the auction, as well as the $10 per object appraisal fee at the Friday night clinic. In addition, 80 percent of the sale price goes directly to the weavers. The rug auction is the largest fund-raiser of the year for the Maxwell and the funds raised support public programs at the museum, as well as general operating expenses.”
Read more in the UNM Newsroom
