GAIL BIRD (Santo Domingo and Laguna Pueblo, b.1949) and YAZZIE JOHNSON (Navajo, b.1946)

Gail Bird (Santo Domingo and Laguna Pueblo) and Yazzie Johnson (Navajo) are Southwest American Indian artists known for their innovative jewelry using varied stones and blending both contemporary and prehistoric design motifs. Friends since childhood, they have collaborated in designing and fabricating jewelry since 1972. They are among the southwest’s most respected jewelers.

Bird and Johnson are best known for the thematic belts they make for the annual SWAIA Indian Market, where they won Best of Show in 1981. They are committed to traditional Native American design and symbols, combined with innovative contemporary stylistic elements. In their belts and jewelry, Bird and Johnson mix stones traditionally seen in Indian jewelry like turquoise and coral with a range of fine stones including chalcedony, druzy quartz and ammonite.

The jewelry works of Bird and Johnson are included in the permanent collections of several museums, including the British Museum, the National Museums of Scotland and the Smithsonian Institution.