This Seed Jar was crafted by the Hopi people from the region of Arizona. The jar is decorated with iconography of squash blossoms, dragonflies, and ears of corn.
In 1932, Mary-Russel Ferrell Colton founded the Hopi Craftsman Exhibition. This project was designed to stimulate the creation of American Indian objects thus broadening the market for the Hopi people to sell their crafts. The exhibition featured Hopi artists who contributed their “best piece” to the show. In the end, the exhibition brought attention to individual Hopi artists establishing better relationships between artist, craftsman, and customer.
To read more on the Hopi Craftsman Exhibition check out Expedition magazine articles The Annual MNA Indian Art Exhibitions by Duffie Westheimer and The Hopi Craftsman Exhibition by Linda B. Eaton
Penn Museum Object #29-77-703.
See this and other objects like it on Penn Museum’s Online Collection Database