Avanyu
Artist
Will Shuster
(American, 1893 - 1969)
Daten.d.
MediumFresco
Dimensions8 x 76 in. (20.3 x 193 cm)
ClassificationsMural
Credit LineFunded through the Federal Emergency Relief Agency, 1934
Object number2006.29.8
DescriptionA horned or plumed serpent (Avanyu) (facing right towards gallery door) with curves suggestive of flowing water or the zigzag of lightning. Serpent is green against an orange background. Located under the courtyard windows.Text Entries
THE WILL SHUSTER MURALS
The six murals on the north wall of the Museum's patio were funded by FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Agency) in 1934. Dr. Edgar Hewett, Director, and the Museum Board devised the theme based on the writings of Alice Cunningham Fletcher, whose commemorative plaque hangs on the patio's south wall. Ms. Fletcher was one of the first ethnologists to notate Native American music and poetry and to recognize the rich artistic traditions inherent in Native American cultures, first among the Plaines tribes of Nebraska and later in the pueblos of the Southwest. She wrote of learning to hear the voices of all living things from her Indian colleagues. "That a voice devoutly heard by the ancient people of America I desire to make audible to others." The four main panels are left to right: The Voice of the Earth (The Basket Dance); The Voice of the Sipapu (The Kiva); The Voice of the Sky (The Eagle Dance); The Voice of the Water (The Spring Flute Ceremony). Two small panels in the central North doorway represent scenes of daily life; winnowing wheat and pottery making. The frescos were painted in the traditional method using fine water-ground pigments painted directly onto wet plaster.
The six murals on the north wall of the Museum's patio were funded by FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Agency) in 1934. Dr. Edgar Hewett, Director, and the Museum Board devised the theme based on the writings of Alice Cunningham Fletcher, whose commemorative plaque hangs on the patio's south wall. Ms. Fletcher was one of the first ethnologists to notate Native American music and poetry and to recognize the rich artistic traditions inherent in Native American cultures, first among the Plaines tribes of Nebraska and later in the pueblos of the Southwest. She wrote of learning to hear the voices of all living things from her Indian colleagues. "That a voice devoutly heard by the ancient people of America I desire to make audible to others." The four main panels are left to right: The Voice of the Earth (The Basket Dance); The Voice of the Sipapu (The Kiva); The Voice of the Sky (The Eagle Dance); The Voice of the Water (The Spring Flute Ceremony). Two small panels in the central North doorway represent scenes of daily life; winnowing wheat and pottery making. The frescos were painted in the traditional method using fine water-ground pigments painted directly onto wet plaster.
On View
On view
