Mary Holiday Black

Early and personal life

Mary Holiday was born around 1934 to Teddy and Betty Holiday in Monument Valley, Utah. She had six siblings, and as the eldest daughter she was expected to stay home and take care of the household. She never attended school. When Black was 11 years old, she learned basket weaving from a relative of her grandmother.

In the 1950s, she married Jessie Black, and the couple eventually had 11 children. Jessie died in 1994. weaving themes such as "Placing the Stars" and "Changing Bear Woman" that were inspired by Navajo oral history. Although some Navajo community members were initially skeptical of the way Black was altering long-held basket making practices, her work gained acceptance over time. In 1995, Black was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts. She was the first artist from Utah and the first Navajo artist to receive the honor.

In 2006, Black participated in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. the Indian Museum of Lake County, and the Utah State Folk Arts Collection.

Death Black died on December 13, 2022.