Master Navajo Weaver Jennie Slick and Mary Walker, interpreter and storyteller of Navajo weavers, rugs and culture, will come to Studio 53 Fine Art Gallery on Saturday, July 13 from 2 to 5 p.m. It will be an afternoon of weaving demonstrations and stories about the rugs and weavers represented in the “Weaving In Beauty” exhibition of Priscilla Alden’s handwoven tapestries and a collection of contemporary Navajo rugs.

Slick’s weaving heritage goes back four-plus generations. Her maternal clan, the Coyote Pass People, includes such illustrious weavers as Daisy Taugelchee and Grace Henderson Nez.

Slick's work has won awards at the Gallup Inter-tribal Ceremonial, and has been featured in the New York Times and in several books.

Mary Walker has been close to Navajo weaving and the Navajo culture for most of her adult life. Navajos refer to people like Walker as “in-laws.” Walker and Slick have been teaching together since 1998.

Walker's goal is to increase the awareness of Navajo weaving and to help weavers find ways to expand their access to marketing opportunities. She also has a textile conservation and appraisal business. Walker has a large collection of Navajo rugs, which she buys directly from the weavers or through rug auctions throughout the Southwest.

The basis of her collection are rugs that she and Slick use in workshops to show various techniques and weaving styles.

The two women have traveled across the United States teaching classes in Navajo weaving techniques.  This year they will teach two classes at Priscilla Alden’s Starfish Studio in Boothbay the week of July 14 through 19 for weavers of varying levels.

Studio 53 is at 53 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor. For more information call Priscilla Alden at 207-441-6081 or Studio 53 at 207-633-2755.