Meet the Maker: Barbara and Michael Teller Ornelas

Join artists-in-residence Barbara Teller Ornelas and her son Michael Teller Ornelas (Diné/Navajo), featured artists in Native Arts in Miniature, in conversation with curators at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures to discuss their creative practice, personal history, and artworks’ connection to their culture.

Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to view Native Arts in Miniature. Light refreshments will be available.

Free with Museum admission!

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About the Artists

Barbara Teller Ornelas and Michael Teller Ornelas, fifth and sixth generation Diné/Navajo weavers respectively, each learned to weave from the previous generation. Their award-winning rugs—full size and miniature—have been recognized at the Heard Museum’s annual Indian Fair + Market and the Santa Fe Indian Market, the largest and most prestigious art market for Native works in the world. Barbara Teller Ornelas has shared her work internationally through a residency at the British Museum in London; as an official cultural diplomat with the U.S. State Department in Peru, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan; and by authoring several books on the family’s weaving tradition with her sister.

You can learn more about the family’s weaving traditions by visiting their websites:

Navajo Rug Weavers – Lynda Teller Pete and Barbara Teller Ornelas

Teller Weavers

This project is supported in part by the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund; the Henry Luce Foundation; the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; Shook, Hardy & Bacon; Tepa Companies; Travois; and a generous anonymous donor.