"Betty Manygoats" 1981 MNA Award Navajo Vase

Updated August 25, 2026

Artist: Betty Manygoats (Diné/Navajo, b. 1945) Date: 1981 Height: Approx. 8.25" Provenance: Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff — Navajo Craftsman Exhibition, July 1981 Award: Honorable Mention Vintage Betty Manygoats Diné (Navajo) hand-built pottery vase, accompanied by its original Museum of Northern Arizona Navajo Craftsman Exhibition tag dated July 1981 and green Museum of Northern Arizona “Honorable Mention” award ribbon. The exhibition tag identifies the artist as Betty Manygoats, the article as “Vase,” and retains the original $15 price notation. The vase measures approximately 8.25" tall and has a tall, organic form with a rounded lower body, elongated neck and irregular sculptural opening. A raised horned toad appliqué decorates the shoulder, with individually worked scales creating a strongly textured surface. The vessel has rich brown coloration with darker fire-cloud areas and a glossy piñon-pitch surface. The horned toad is especially significant in identifying Manygoats' work. According to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Manygoats began incorporating her now-signature horned toads into her pottery in the late 1970s. The Smithsonian holds a 1988 Manygoats wedding vase with horned-toad appliqués in its permanent collection. King Galleries likewise documents that she was using the horned-toad motif by approximately 1978 and specifically notes that she won awards at the annual Navajo exhibitions at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. Her pots were traditionally coil-built from Navajo clay, with the textured horned-toad scales formed by hand and the finished vessels coated with warm piñon pitch after firing. That makes your dated 1981 MNA tag and award ribbon particularly important: this isn't merely a later piece attributed stylistically to Manygoats—the accompanying materials document the vase's artist, exhibition, date and award. The vase appears to remain in good vintage condition with surface variation, firing characteristics and age-related wear. The original exhibition tag and ribbon also show expected age. See photos for complete condition.

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