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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Water, Wind, Breath: Southwest Native Art in Community

Feb 20 – May 15, 2022
2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130, United States

Po-wa-ha (water-wind-breath), the Tewa Pueblo’s word for art, evokes more than just the physical object. Writing about the Pueblo Native Americans group, Rina Swentzell of Santa Clara Pueblo describes Po-wa-ha as “the creative force causing life, much as the Christian God is the originator and creator of Christian existence.” In celebration of Po-wa-ha, the Barnes Foundation hosts a selection of textiles, jewelry, and pottery made by Native artists. Pieces that Dr. Albert Barnes, the institution’s founder, collected in New Mexico in the 1930s are displayed alongside works by 27 contemporary Native artists, including Melissa Cody, Virgil Oritz, and Norbert Peshlakai. —Jensen Davis

A Navajo Serape, c. 1875. Photo courtesy of the Barnes Foundation.