Orlando Dugi

At a crossroad where couture style and Native storytelling coalesce, we find Diné beadworker and fashion designer Orlando Dugi. Through his clothing creations and wearable art, Dugi realizes his Diné heritage and upbringing while simultaneously situating his creative expression in modernity. His pieces often express poetic interpretations of cultural teachings and songs without literally encroaching upon them. Each piece may be meticulously handstitched, embellished by tiny beads or even adorned with his own silverwork.  

About his artwork, Orlando Dugi says: 

 I want to find ways to tell stories told to me, ceremonies I’ve witnessed and my experiences growing up on and off the Navajo Nation in north central Arizona. I want to share these without literally placing sacred or culturally sensitive imagery and iconography onto a garment, but in a beautiful complex way that mirrors the intricate ways of the Diné traditional way of life through clothing and wearable art.

His works have been exhibited at the Denver Art Museum, Wheelwright Museum, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture amongst others. Additionally, he has received numerous awards and recognition at places like the Heard Museum Guild Art Show, SWAIA, and Cherokee Art Show. Dugi’s pieces are one of a kind and focused on limited edition collections.  

While at SAR, Dugi will study further in-depth historic textile materials and techniques. He will complete a garment designed and inspired by weaving and materials found during research of Navajo and pre-historic Southwestern tribes. The creative work will consider materials and techniques in utilitarian objects while combining his current disciplines. 

Orlando Dugi will be in residence September 1, 2022 through December 1, 2022.