Through generous gifts from the Eugene and Ina Schnell Collection and the Solomons Collection, the museum’s Native North American collection features many Comala, Nayarit, and Jalisco-style ceramic objects from West Mexico, Chipucuaro-style ceramic figures, and Mayan ceramic figures, vessels, and stone pendants. Additional examples include Mezcala, Tlatilco, and Michoacan-style ceramic figures, and ancient stone objects from Costa Rica. Much of the Indigenous art in the museum collection from current US territory originates from the Southwest, with Navajo-style jewelry and textiles, and many examples of Puebloan-style (Acoma, Hopi, Kewa, Zuni, and Zia) pottery. Highlights include ledger art from the Solomons Collection, beaded garments from the Plains, and a Meskwaki-style, ribbon-appliqué dress. From California, the museum holds a modest collection of woven baskets in the Pima, Pomo, Mission, Chemehuevi, Washo, and Yokuts styles. Notable contemporary examples include a painted cedar-plank house screen by Don “Lelooska” Smith, a suite of prints by Fritz Scholder, and blown and sand-carved glass sculpture by Preston Singletary.

With the exception of some ancient ceramic vessels in the Nazca, Chimu, and Moche style from Peru, most of the museum’s Indigenous art from South America is made of cloth. Please visit the Textiles page to learn about this and more.

NEW NAGPRA REGULATIONS 

Since 1990, United States law has provided a roadmap for the protection and return of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony. In January 2024 new regulations designed to facilitate the implementation of the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) went into effect. Like many cultural heritage institutions, the Stanley Museum of Art will continue our collections assessment work to remain in compliance with these regulations and ensure that we display objects that remain in our care appropriately. 

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