Conversations: Artworks in Dialogue

Conversations: Artworks in Dialogue

The collection of Daniel E. Prall

Donald B. Anderson Gallery

July 2 - Nov 21, 2021

Exhibition on loan from The Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, NM

Conversations: Artworks in Dialogue highlights pieces from the collection of Daniel E. Prall, a dedicated volunteer and longtime supporter of the Wheelwright Museum. His Native American collection included 320 major artworks, with emphasis on painting, drawing, pottery, and sculpture. Prall bequeathed the collection to the Wheelwright Museum in 2017.

 Artists represented in the exhibition include Margarete Bagshaw (Santa Clara Pueblo), David Bradley (Chippewa), T. C. Cannon (Kiowa/Caddo), Darren Vigil Gray (Jicarilla Apache/Kiowa Apache), Helen Hardin (Santa Clara Pueblo), Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache), Linda Lomahaftewa (Hopi/Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), Dan and Arlo Namingha (Hopi-Tewa), Diego Romero (Cochiti Pueblo), Pablita Velarde (Santa Clara Pueblo), Emmi Whitehorse (Navajo), and many others.

The selected objects provide a visual and intellectual narrative of themes in the larger Native American Fine Art Movement and range in date from the 1960s to 2017. They do not represent a specific style of work but reflect Prall’s personal interests and his friendships with many artists. Notes that he wrote on the backs of his catalog cards offer rich, in-depth narratives of his interactions with the artists, including detailed descriptions of conversations, meals, and the artworks he acquired. Clearly he valued the artists’ friendship as highly as their art. Examples of some of Prall’s most thoughtful comments are included in the exhibition.

Dan Prall was a very private man, and most of his acquaintances did not realize the depth of his collection until after his passing. Although some of his favorite works by Native American, Spanish New Mexican, and other artists were displayed in his Santa Fe home of more than twenty-five years, many pieces were stored in cabinets, in closets, and under beds.

Following Prall’s wishes, his family helped divide his collection between the Wheelwright Museum and the Museum of International Folk Art. The Roswell Museum and Art Center is grateful to the Wheelwright Museum for the loan of this exhibition.