Melissa Cody

According to the legend, Spider-Woman wove a map of the universe and taught the Navajo women how to weave. Like a spider web, traditional Navajo rugs are made from the inside out. A weaver marks the midpoint of the design and ties off the strings in the center of the weave; all four of the quadrants are symmetrical and mirror images of each other. But Cody is more than a traditional Navajo weaver, which becomes immediately clear. With her mother's guidance, Cody felt the call to experiment, she conferred with her elders. Cody began making rugs that broke with tradition She created asymmetrical designs, incorporated images, and texts, and made use of bright colors that strayed from the traditional color palette. A rising talent in the art world, her work has been widely exhibited and received numerous awards including the 2018 National Artist Fellowship, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. Her work can be seen in the collections of the Minneapolis, MN, Stark Museum, TX. - Jim Ruland, Author