Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay

September 20, 2024–July 13, 2025

Washington, DC

Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay celebrates more than three decades of innovation by fiber artist DY Begay (Diné [Navajo], b. 1953). Begay’s tapestry art is at once fundamentally modern and essentially Diné, each work an exploration of the artist’s passion for experiencing and interpreting her world. The primary world that Begay explores is Tsélaní, her birthplace and homeland on the Navajo Nation reservation. From this firm foundation, her innate and lifelong curiosity has motivated her to investigate the expressive power of color and design in developing her distinctive aesthetic.

Begay creates unique artworks that bridge her traditional Diné upbringing and experimental fiber art practice. Through her embrace of color, passion for design, and innovative handling of fiber, Begay creates art that expresses a non-Western way of being to a contemporary audience. Sublime Light is the first retrospective of Begay’s career, showcasing 48 of her most remarkable tapestries.

Catalogue
Video
Sponsors
DY Begay (Diné, b. 1953), Intended Vermillion, 2015. Wool with plant, insect, and synthetic dyes, 49 x 37 ½ in. Denver Art Museum: Commissioned and funded by Kent and Elaine Olson for the Denver Art Museum, 2015.266.

DY Begay (Diné, b. 1953), Intended Vermillion, 2015. Wool with plant, insect, and synthetic dyes, 49 x 37 ½ in. Denver Art Museum: Commissioned and funded by Kent and Elaine Olson for the Denver Art Museum, 2015.266.
DY Begay (Diné, b. 1953), Transformation, 2010. Churro, merino, and karakul wools, silk, plant dyes, and insect dye, 42 × 38 in. Private collection.

DY Begay (Diné, b. 1953), Transformation, 2010. Churro, merino, and karakul wools, silk, plant dyes, and insect dye, 42 × 38 in. Private collection.
DY Begay (Diné, b. 1953), Shadows of Cota, 2009. Churro wool and plant dyes, 29 1/2 × 39 in. Collection of Helena Hernmarck.

DY Begay (Diné, b. 1953), Shadows of Cota, 2009. Churro wool and plant dyes, 29 1/2 × 39 in. Collection of Helena Hernmarck.
DY Begay (Diné, b. 1953), Monumental Edge 2, 2020. Wool, plant dye, insect dye, and synthetic dye, 77 1/2 x 39 in. National Museum of the American Indian 27/0821, gift of Merrilee Caldwell and Marcus Randolph.

DY Begay (Diné, b. 1953), Monumental Edge 2, 2020. Wool, plant dye, insect dye, and synthetic dye, 77 1/2 x 39 in. National Museum of the American Indian 27/0821, gift of Merrilee Caldwell and Marcus Randolph.
DY Begay (Diné, b. 1953), Enchanted Indigo, 2022. Wool and plant dye, 24 5/8 × 26 in. Private collection, New York.

DY Begay (Diné, b. 1953), Enchanted Indigo, 2022. Wool and plant dye, 24 5/8 × 26 in. Private collection, New York.

Video

Sponsors

Major support provided by Henry Luce Foundation. Generous support provided by Ameriprise Financial. Additional support provided by The Coby Foundation, Ltd., and Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund. This project received Federal support from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

The Henry Luce Foundation
The Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative Pool