Generations : The Helen Cox Kersting Collection of Southwestern Cultural Arts

Helen Cox Kersting grew up in Illinois, but gained fame as an opera star in Europe. Kersting became a sophisticated collector of exceptional work by famed jewelers, such as Leo Poblano, John Gordon Leak, Charles Loloma, and Frank Dishta, and she was fascinated by the pottery of masters such as Maria Martinez, Lucy Lewis, Margaret Tafoya, and Nampeyo. Creations by leading Native artists today, including brilliant works by Veronica Poblano, Tammy Garcia, Grace Medicine Flower, Jacob Koopee, and Les Namingha, were added to the collection.

Generations presents a visual feast of Native arts of the American Southwest, with approximately 550 color plates. Essays by James H. Nottage, Diana F. Pardue (Heard Museum), and Bruce Bernstein (Santa Fe Indian Market) provide insights into the history of the collection.

James H. Nottage is the Vice President and Chief Curatorial Officer at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana.  He previously served as the founding Chief Curator at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, California and is widely considered an expert in Western and American Indian art.  He is the author of Saddlemaker to the Stars: The Leather and Silver Art of Edward H. Bohlin (University of Washington Press, 1997) and Generation, The Helen Cox Kersting Collection of Southwestern Cultural Arts (Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art, 2010).