UPCOMING VISITING ARTISTS AT THE MIP: Guest Artists Abel Nash (Hopi) and Kurt Ovah (Hopi) will join us at the museum on Friday and Saturday, Sept 4th, 2026 and Sept 5th, 2026, (10am to 4pm) to demonstrate their techniques and sell their work.

Abel is a third-generation artist from Walpi Village on First Mesa, AZ. His family has been a big influence on his painting and in particular, his great grandmother Bessie Namoki and grandmother Sandra Dewangyumpetwa. He uses a lot of their pottery designs in his paintings. The MIP proudly features a dawa design Abel created as our museum logo.

Kurt carves Hopi kachina dolls. Kachina dolls, also written as katsina dolls, have a longstanding place within Hopi cultural life. Traditionally carved from cottonwood root, the figures represent katsinam and are presented within Hopi communities with wishes for growth and well-being. Artists also create carvings for sale, bringing their knowledge and individual approaches to an art form that continues to develop.

For museum visitors, meeting a Hopi artist provides important context. The artwork are not anonymous objects from the past. They are part of a living artistic practice carried forward by contemporary Hopi artists such as Abel and Kurt.

Read more about Able https://www.museumofindigenouspeople.org/post/featured-artist-abel-nash

Read more about Kurt

https://www.museumofindigenouspeople.org/post/featured-artist-kurt-ovah