Object Details
Artist
Louise Goodman, born Cow Springs, Navajo Nation, AZ 1937
Luce Center Label
Ceramist Louise Goodman started making animals and other decorative pieces in the 1980s when she noticed a decline in demand for her functional clay objects. Creating animal figures was common among Navajo potters at the time and Goodman became well known for her playful bears. The bears, with their stubby limbs and exaggerated torsos, became Goodman's most popular pieces. She often added an unexpected detail—a slot in the back to make the bear into a piggy bank. This transformation from figurine to piggy bank is especially fitting as the bear often represents power and plenitude in the Navajo culture.
Luce Object Quote
"If you want to get money out of them, you gotta shake them." The artist, quoted in Chuck and Jan Rosenak, The People Speak: Navajo Folk Art, 1994
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and museum purchase made possible by Mrs. Gibson Fahnestock
Date
1990
Object number
1997.124.154
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Decorative Arts-Ceramic
Folk Art
Medium
fired clay with piñon pitch
Dimensions
22 1/4 x 10 5/8 x 10 7/8 in. (56.5 x 27.0 x 27.6 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Decorative Arts
On View
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 25A
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Animal\bear
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1997.124.154