Thelma and Me
Melanie Yazzie, Diné (Navajo) / American, born 1966
Diné (Navajo)
Southwest
2001
Lithograph on wove paper
17/35
Sheet: 20 1/16 × 26 in. (51 × 66.1 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through the Jean and Adolph Weil Jr. 1935 Fund
© Melanie Yazzle
2019.29.10
Portfolio / Series Title
Lasting Impressions
Printer
Jack Lemon
Publisher
University of Arizona Foundation, Tuscon, Arizona
Geography
Place Made: United States, North America
Period
21st century
Object Name
Research Area
Native American
Native American: Southwest
On view
Inscriptions
Signed and dated, in graphite, lower right: Melanie Yazzie 2001; numbered, in graphite, lower left: 17/35; stamped, on reverse, lower right: University of Arizona / Foundations; stamped, on reverse, lower left: Copyright 2001 / Melanie Yazzie; embossed, lower right: [printer's chop] Lj [circled]
Label
This lithograph, layered with news articles about Native American health, traditional Diné rug patterns, and the joyful image of two women laughing, tells a story of land, wellness, and community. The woman to the right is the artist; the woman to the left is her grandmother on her mother’s side, Thelma Baldwin. Thelma was a weaver and introduced Melanie to all the planning and preparation required to create art. The traditional weaving patterns in yellow behind the two figures represent the laughter, joy, and healing shared between the two women. Phrases such as “a look at diabetes and Native Americans” evoke the health struggles faced by Indigenous communities, while “growing healthier foods,” interwoven among the vibrant patterns, asserts a counternarrative of Indigenous resilience, strength, and healing.
From the 2025 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 122, Weaving Ké, curated by Nizhonie Denetsosie-Gomez '25, Conroy Intern
Course History
NAS 30.18, Indians Who Rock the World: Native American Contemporary Music, Davina Two Bears, Spring 2019
Exhibition History
A Space for Dialogue 122, Weaving Ké, Nizhonie Denetsosie-Gomez '25, Conroy Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 25 - March 30, 2025.
Provenance
University of Arizona School of Art, Tuscon, Arizon; sold to present collection, 2019.
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