BERTHA HARVEY

– BERTHA HARVEY –

Navajo, 1955—

Bertha Harvey is a highly respected Navajo (Diné) weaver whose career spans from the late 1960s into the present day. Born north of Gallup, New Mexico, she was introduced to weaving by her mother, Esther Harvey, and began practicing the craft as a young woman. Harvey is known for her mastery of Old Style and Chinle patterns—regional designs that draw on the strong geometric vocabulary of Navajo textile traditions—as well as for her revival and creative interpretations of classic motifs. In addition to these styles, she is particularly noted for weaving American flag rugs, which have been interpreted as a nuanced commentary on Native identity in the United States.

Harvey’s work has gained attention not only among collectors and galleries but also in museum collections and exhibitions. A Flag Rug by Bertha Harvey is part of the Portland Art Museum’s collection, where it has been discussed for its artistic and cultural resonance and included in dialogues around Native American art. Her textiles are also circulated among galleries specializing in Native American weaving, and serve as illustrative examples in exhibitions and publications about Navajo textile traditions—especially those exploring the evolution of pictorial and banded weavings in the late 20th century. 

Beyond specific museum holdings, Harvey’s weavings—especially her flag and revival pieces—have been referenced in broader exhibition contexts that connect Navajo historic forms with contemporary artistic expression. For example, her Flag Rug has been referenced in installations such as the 2016 show Dene bāhī Naabaahii (Demian DinéYazhi’ and Kali Spitzer) at the Portland Art Museum, where her textile was re-contextualized within a contemporary Native art framework. Through both traditional rugs and works that engage symbolically with national iconography, Bertha Harvey’s textiles continue to contribute to the ongoing story of Navajo weaving as both cultural anchor and evolving artistic practice.