Visions in Stone

Visions in Stone

When he was in his twenties, Navajo (Diné) Alvin Marshall was traveling to Florence on a grant to study Michelangelo’s David when he had an especially vivid dream. In it, a man spoke to him first in Italian, then in Navajo.

“He said, ‘You’re going to see a lot of great art, but don’t take anything from it, because it won’t help you,’” Marshall says. “He said, ‘All of that has already been done; you need to do your own thing.’” Later, at the Galleria Dell’Accademia di Firenze, Marshall recognized the man from his dream in a seated figure that was carved into one of the artifacts on the gallery wall. “I asked my friend who that person was,” Marshall says, “and he said, ‘That’s Michelangelo.’”

During his 40 years as a sculptor, Marshall has been known as a visionary artist. His one-of-a-kind alabaster carvings of figures and animals—sometimes stunningly intricate, sometimes elegantly simple— are inspired by dreams, visions, and tribal ceremonies in which he has participated. His goal is to preserve Navajo traditions and share them with the world.

Read the full article in the November/December 2024 issue.