Peter Nelson

Silversmith since 1972

Born on the reservation, Whitecone, Arizona 1954
Mother and father still live on reserve.
Married to Shirley George, Navajo.
Has three daughters.

Graduate of Santa Fe Indian Arts Institute of America.

Awards include:
Gallup Intertribal,
Denver Winter Festival of Arts,
Heard Museum Invitational,
Northern Arizona Museum Navajo Arts Competition,
Scottsdale Indian Arts Show,

Work has appeared
Arizona Highways Magazine & "Enduring Traditions" Book

Peter Nelson's jewelry also has meaning. "As a kid," he said, "I remember hauling water and riding horses, and I find myself including those designs in my work."
Raised in the White Cone area of the reservation, Peter is the eldest of eleven children. His brother is an artist, three sisters and his mother are weavers, and one sister is learning to be a silversmith.

He attended the Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, intending to pursue a painting carreer, but he also studied jewelry-making and soon decided, ist was the medium he prefered.

from the book "Enduring Traditions"