Lyons Recorder Newspaper - Local news from Lyons, Colorado for over 60 years

The twenty-sixth annual Joe Ben Wheat Navajo Weaving Silent Auction and Benefit will be held from noon to 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 3, in the lobby of the Denver Post Building, 101 West Colfax Avenue, Denver. The event is coordinated and held by Toh-Atin Gallery of Durango, to raise money to support the preservation of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History’s collections. The fund is named after Dr. Joe Ben Wheat who in the 1980’s put together the University of

Colorado Museum of Natural History’s textile collection. Jackson Clark Sr., a friend of Wheat, offered to raise funds to care for the collection, the Toh-Atin Gallery, owned by Clark’s son, Jackson Clark Jr., continues this tradition.
“This year’s auction,” according to weaving expert Jackson Clark “promises to have one of the nicest selections of weavings in the 26-year history of the event.”  Highlights include numerous old weavings such as a Yeibichai (Navajo spirit) weaving that dates back to the 1920’s, and smaller weavings done by 90-year old Mae Morgan who still herds her own sheep, spins her own wool, and has saved some pieces specifically for the auction.

The schedule includes:
1 to 7 p.m., - silent auction of more than 100 new and old weavings valued at $100 to $10,000.
1 to 5 p.m., - free weaving evaluations by Jackson Clark Jr., of Toh-Atin Gallery, for those who would like to learn the value of their weaving and rug repair and cleaning estimates by Ben Leroux of Southwestern Textile Restoration.
5 p.m., - lecture in the Denver Post auditorium by Jackson Clark Jr. on the history of Navajo weaving, followed by an auction walk-through.
5 to 7 p.m., - reception
7 p.m., - bid winners announced; a special event feature is a “buy it now” (any weaving that does not have a bid on it can be purchased at any time during the event by paying 20 percent over the minimum and, it can be taken home at that time by the bidder).

Select weavings from the auction will also be available for online bidding. Visit www.toh-atin.com/cuauction for more information.

For more information on the auction, contact the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History at (303) 492-6892, or the Toh-Atin Gallery, 1 (800) 525-0384.

Parking is available next to the Denver Post Building on Cleveland, at the Sheraton on 15th Street, or at any downtown lot, you can then take the free 16th Street shuttle to Cleveland and walk south.