Basket Dance, 1923-32

Tonita Peña (Quah Ah), San Ildefonso Pueblo, 1893-1949

Basket-making was typically the women’s domain in Pueblo society. Here, Peña brings her keen eye for details, differentiating each basket with beautiful abstract geometric patterns. It is noteworthy that here she is the painter and not the basket-weaver. Peña was the only female artist of her generation to paint representational images of Pueblo life – a discipline traditionally reserved for men.