Event Details (U.S. National Park Service)

Fee:

Free.

Location: LAT/LONG: 36.000000, -112.000000

Desert View is located, 23 miles (37 km) east of Grand Canyon Village on Desert View Drive (Arizona State Route 64), and 30 miles (48 km) west of Cameron, Arizona, on Arizona State Route 64. How to get to the Watchtower: Starting from the main Desert View parking area, a short .25 mile (.4 km) walk takes you past the restroom building, the Market/Deli and the Trading Post. The four story watchtower is located at Desert View Point.

Repeating Event

Days:

Every day

Dates:

October 31, 2023 to November 02, 2023

Time:

9:00 AM

Duration:

7 hours

Type of Event

Cultural/Craft Demonstration

Description

Stop by the Desert View Watchtower on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 am to 4 pm to join our Cultural Demonstrators to talk, watch, and appreciate their crafts. This week we are featuring Alphonso John, Diné (Navajo) jeweler. Also Navajo Jewelers and Carvers, Gloria and Leo Chee.

Alphonso is a beader who creates beautiful jewelry using glass beads and leather. He learned the craft from his father, who was also a renowned jeweler. He often participates in cultural demonstrations at national parks, where he showcases his skills and shares his stories with visitors. Alphonso is one of the many talented Diné jewelers who work with traditional and contemporary designs.
Gloria will be demonstrating both wood carving and beading. She makes folk art and Navajo Ye’ii dolls. Her art is a continual learning process. She says art can teach one how to be patient and positive. When she demonstrates her work to the public, she encourages children to experiment, to imagine, to invent and use new materials to grow creatively.
Leo is a self-taught carver and silversmith and has been creating silver jewelry, with natural turquoise and other semi-precious stones for over 20 years. His jewelry has a contemporary look; however, he often includes traditional Navajo rug designs and very simple settings.

The purpose of the Cultural Demonstration Program is to give members of the 11 traditionally associated tribes a voice at Grand Canyon by supporting interactions with the public through demonstrations of traditional native practices and crafts. The program began in 2014 and continues to grow to this day.

This series is made possible with grants from Grand Canyon Conservancy.

More information