Mary Holiday Black

Monument Valley, Utah

Mary Holiday Black was born around 1934 to Teddy and Betty Holiday in Monument Valley, Utah. She had six siblings, and as the eldest daughter she was expected to stay home and take care of the household. She never attended school. When Black was 11 years old, she learned basket weaving from a relative of her grandmother's.[1]

In the 1950s, Black married Jessie Black, and the couple eventually had 11 children. Jessie died in 1994.[1] Black passed on her weaving skills to nine of her children, and several of her children have gone on to become respected basket makers, including Jamison Black[1] and Sally Black.[2][3]

Black speaks only the Navajo language, and has never learned English. She uses an interpreter when necessary.[4][5]

During the first half of the 20th century, the active practice of Navajo basket weaving had been steadily declining.[4] Rug weaving had become a better source of income for women than basket weaving, and only a handful of Navajo basket makers were left by the 1960s.

In the 1970s, Black contributed to a revival of Navajo basket weaving, experimenting with new designs and techniques. Her innovations included expanding the size of traditional baskets, using vegetable dyes to create more subtle colors, incorporating motifs from ancient tribal pottery and rock art, and using Navajo religious imagery to weave visual narratives into her baskets.[4] Black became known as a pioneer of Navajo "story baskets",[2] weaving themes such as "Placing the Stars" and "Changing Bear Woman" that were inspired by traditional legends.[3] Although some Navajo community members were initially skeptical of the way Black was altering long-held basket making practices, her work gained acceptance over time.[5]

In 1993, Black received the Utah Governor's Award for the Arts.[6][7] In 1995, Black was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts.[4][8] She was the first artist from Utah[5] and the first Navajo artist to receive the honor.[7] Black has been called "the matriarch of Navajo basketry".[9]

In 2006, Black was a participating artist in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.[1] In January 2013, baskets by the Black family were featured as part of "Weaving a Revolution: A Celebration of Contemporary Navajo Baskets", the first major museum exhibit on Navajo basket weaving.[5] Black's work has appeared at the Natural History Museum of Utah,[1] Utah State University Eastern,[10] the Indian Museum of Lake County,[11] and the Utah State Folk Arts Collection.[12]