Melissa Cody (born 1983) is a Navajo textile artist, from No Water Mesa,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, United States. Her Germantown Revival style weavings are known for their bold colors and intricate three dimensional patterns. Cody maintains aspects of traditional Navajo tapestries, but also adds her own elements into her work. These elements range from personal tributes to pop culture references. Her tapestries have been described as " ��deeply personal, beautifully crafted, powerfully expressive works of art that speak to her culture and generation." She resides in

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, California.

Early life and education

Cody was born in 1983 in No Water Mesa, Arizona. She is a member of the Diné (

Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...

) Nation and grew up on a Navajo Reservation in

Leupp Leupp () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Coconino County, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation, United States. The population was 951 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. In 1902 an Indian boarding school was constructed here, admi ...

, Arizona and at times lived in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Cody is a fourth generation textile artist who began weaving at the age of 5. She grew up watching her mother Lola Cody, her grandmother

Martha Gorman Schultz Martha Gorman Schultz (1931 – February 21, 2025) was an American Diné (Navajo) weaver. She was known for her Navajo rugs and had been an active weaver from the 1950s until the 2020s. Gorman Schultz also dyed her own wool in natural colors, ...

and other family members work at the loom and was encouraged to challenge and explore her own capabilities on the loom. Melissa Cody primarily works in the Germantown Revival style of weaving. This style is a traditional Navajo style of weaving that was created during a time of oppression, the Navajo Long Walk, that used wool from government issued wool blankets. Curators Besaw et al. explain that this style is known for its, "vibrant hues, diamond patterns, geometric forms and overlapping lines". Cody weaves on a traditional Navajo loom, which are all built by her father, using Germantown style wool yarn. She is known for incorporating traditional Germantown styles with modern elements in her tapestries. Her works also include Navajo symbols, personal references as well as pop culture references. Cody's tapestries have been credited as giving off a three dimensional illusion. In 2007, Cody graduated from the

Institute of American Indian Arts The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is a public tribal land-grant college in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. The college focuses on Native American art. It operates the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), which is housed ...

in Santa Fe, New Mexico and received a B.A. degree in studio arts and

museum studies Museology (also called museum studies or museum science) is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and ed ...

. After college, Cody interned at the

Museum of International Folk Art The Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It is one of many cultural institutions operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. History The museum was founded by Flor ...

in Santa Fe, NM and at the

National museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

in Washington D.C.

Artworks

''Dopamine Regression'' – 2010

In this 70 x 48 in. textile, Cody uses brightly colored wool that is said to give off a three dimensional look. According to the curators Besaw et al., Cody created this work to honor her father, as he struggles with Parkinson's disease. Besaw et al. further explain that the several black crosses represent her deep sorrow to his condition. The red cross at the top of the tapestry refers to the medical red cross, as well as the Navajo goddess, Spider Woman. This goddess is known for her strength, goodness and for teaching the art of weaving. Overall, this tapestry contains Navajo symbols and personal references.

''Deep Brain Stimulation'' – 2011

''Deep Brain Stimulation'' is held in a collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and maintains the Germantown Revival style with bright "eye dazzling designs". With dimensions of 40 x 30 in. Cody uses intensely colored wool that creates rainbow like patterns. There are black and white crosses across the piece that symbolize the Navajo goddess, Spider Woman once again. The artwork's title is meant to pay tribute to her father, who has

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

, as it refers to a neural treatment for the disease.

''World Traveler'' – 2014

A selected work at the Garth Greenman gallery and part of the Stark Museum ''Navajo Weaving: Tradition and Trade'' exhibit, ''World Traveler'' is a 90x 48 in. wool textile piece. Like the Germantown Revival style of weaving, Cody is said to create a "illusion of movement". According to curators Besaw et al., ''World Traveler'' "features a panel with sixteen concentric half-circles decorated with a checkerboard pattern" that gives a "psychedelic effect".

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

* ''Webbed Skies: Melissa Cody'', MoMA PS1, Queens, New York (2024) * ''Future Tradition: Melissa Cody'', Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, Texas (2017)

Group exhibitions

* ''Àbadakone , Continuous Fire , Feu continuel'', National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (2020) * ''Threads of Rain'', de Young Museum, San Francisco, California (2019) * ''NDN NOW'', Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona (2019) * ''Heritage'', Rebecca Camacho Presents, San Francisco, California (2019) * ''Nine 4 Ninety: Artists for a New Understanding'',

Museum of Northern Arizona The Museum of Northern Arizona is a museum in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States, established as a repository for Indigenous material and natural history specimens from the Colorado Plateau. The museum was founded in 1928 by zoologist Dr. Harol ...

, Flagstaff, Arizona (2019) * ''Self, Made'', Exploratorium, San Francisco, California (2019) * ''Color Riot! How Color Changed Navajo Textiles'',

Heard Museum The Heard Museum is a private, not-for-profit museum in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art. It presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective, as well as exhibitio ...

, Phoenix, Arizona (2019) * ''Interwoven'', MASS Gallery, Austin, Texas (2019) * ''Casa Tomada'', SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico (2018) * ''Footprints Forward: Navajo Contemporary Artists Post-1868'', Navajo Nation Museum,

Window Rock Window Rock, known in Navajo language, Navajo as Tségháhoodzání (), is a city and census-designated place that serves as the capital of the Navajo Nation, the largest List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States, Nativ ...

, Arizona (2018) * ''Edgewater Reflections'',

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

Ingham Chapman Gallery,

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

, New Mexico (2018) * ''Connective Tissue: New Approaches To Fiber In Contemporary Native Art'',

, Santa Fe, New Mexico (2017) * ''Navajo Weaving: Tradition and Trade'', Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas (2014) * ''Messengers 2012'', Rainmaker Gallery, Bristol, England (2012) * ''A Turning Point: Navajo Weaving In The Late 20th Century'', Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona (2010) * ''Family Ties: Youth Navajo Weavers'', Heard Museum West, Phoenix, Arizona (2007)

Collections

Cody's work is included in: *

Minneapolis Institute of Art The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the List of largest art museums, largest ar ...

* Stark Museum of Art

Awards

* Judges Award (Textiles), Heard Museum Fair and Market (2017) * Native American Art Magazine Award, Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (2017) * Best of Show Award, Autry National Center (2014) * 2nd Place (Textiles), Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, Heard Museum (2013) * Judge's Choice Award, Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, Heard Museum (2011) * Conrad House Award, Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, Heard Museum (2010) * Judge's Choice Award, Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, Heard Museum (2010) * 1st Place (Textiles), Student Division, Santa Fe Indian Market (1998) * 2nd Place (Fiber arts), Heard Museum Guild Native American Student Arts and Crafts Show, Heard Museum (1997) * 2nd; 3rd Place (Textiles), Student Division, Santa Fe Indian Market (1996) * 1st Place (Textiles),Youth Division, Santa Fe Indian Market (1995) * 1st Place; Bob Davis Memorial Award (Textiles), Youth Division, Santa Fe Indian Market (1994) * 1st; 3rd Place (Textiles), Santa Fe Indian Market (1993) * 1st Ribbon (Textiles), Santa Fe Indian Market (1992)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cody, Melissa 1983 births Living people 21st-century Native American artists 21st-century Native American women Weavers from Arizona Navajo textile artists People from Coconino County, Arizona Date of birth missing (living people) Textile artists from Arizona 21st-century American textile artists 21st-century American women textile artists Navajo women artists