Gerald Nailor, Sr.
Gerald Nailor, Sr. (1917–1952) or Toh Yah (Navajo: Tóyá) was a Navajo Studio painter from Picurís, New Mexico.[2] Beginning in 1942, he was commissioned to paint the history of the Navajo people for a large mural at the Navajo Nation Council Chamber, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
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[edit] Background
Gerald Nailor Sr. was born in 1917 in Pinedale, New Mexico; his Navajo name is Toh Yah (Walking By the River). After attending Albuquerque Indian School, he attended the Santa Fe Indian School in 1937. There he studied art under Dorothy Dunn.
[edit] Marriage and family
He met his future wife, who was working as a nurse at the Santa Fe Indian Hospital. Upon marrying, they relocated to Picuris Pueblo, New Mexico, where they reared their five children. Their son Gerald Nailor also became an artist.
[edit] Career
After working under Dunn, Nailor spent a year studying with Kenneth Chapman and the Swedish muralist, Olaf Nordmark. In 1937, with his good friend the artist Allan Houser, he set up a studio in Santa Fe to paint and work on his silkscreen prints.[1]
With fellow-artist and classmate Harrison Begay, Nailor founded "Tewa Enterprises", an art publishing firm specializing in Native American art, especially that of the two founders. Tewa Enterprises became known for the high quality of their silkscreen prints.[1]
In 1939, Nailor, Houser and Velino Shije Herrera were commissioned by the WPA to paint a large mural, which is still installed in the Main Interior Building in Washington, D.C.[3]
In 1942, Nailor was selected for the commission for a mural for the Navajo Nation Council Chamber in Window Rock, Arizona, to depict the history of the Navajo people. He was one of thousands who applied for the job, which officials expected to take take 3–5 years. In 2004, the building (and its mural) was declared a National Historic Landmark.[4]
Works by Nailor are held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of the American Indian and the Denver Art Museum.[1]
[edit] External links
- Photograph of Gerald Nailor, Sr. painting History and Progress of the Navajo Nation, installed at Navajo Nation Council Chamber, Digital Vaults
- Gerald Nailor Bio (son), Official Website with artwork
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d "Gerald Nailor", Art of the Print
- ^ Lester, 382
- ^ Brief Bio
- ^ Navajo Nation Council Chamber, at National Park Service.
[edit] Reference list
- Lester, Patrick D. The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters. Norman and London: The Oklahoma University Press, 1995. ISBN 0806199369.
- "Brief Biography." Gerald Nailor.Com. Ed. Dane Vierow. 29 May 2007.
- "Gerald Nailor Interview." Personal interview. 26 Apr. 2009. Interview about Gerald Nailor, Sr.
