About Americana Indian & Western Shows, dealers
of Native American arts and crafts
The Americana Indian and Western Gallery had its beginning in 1947,
when the Anderson family lived with an uncle on his trading post
adjacent to the Navajo Reservation. The eventual founder of Americana,
Lee Anderson, attended school on the reservation and worked after
school for his uncle in the trading post.
The family collected American Indian art and later decorated their
Phoenix home in this style. They collected Navajo rugs, pottery,
baskets, and other Indian and western items. Lee and his brothers
started their Indian arts, crafts, and jewelry business as a part-time
venture to their normal occupations — Lee was career Army
officer, Wayne, a game and fish ranger in Flagstaff, Arizona, and,
Arvid, a guidance counselor in Yuma, Arizona.
Following Lee’s retirement in 1974, they opened galleries
in Sedona and Flagstaff, Arizona. However, their first love was
the road, and they established a wonderfully loyal following in
several cities and states throughout the U.S. Several years ago,
they closed the galleries and dedicated all their resources to conducting
shows and sales nationwide. Currently they conduct 26 shows and
sales a year.
Lee is a credited appraiser of Southwestern Indian jewelry, kachinas,
rugs, baskets, pottery, and artifacts. He provides written appraisals
for insurance purposes for a small fee (not a percentage of its
value). To learn more, contact us at appraisals@americana.net.
Americana, through its resident silver / goldsmith Brian
Clark, also offers custom jewelry and jewelry repair.
If you have a piece you’re interested in knowing about —
which tribe or clan made it, when it was made, and, if possible,
who made it — feel free to bring it to one of our shows; we’re
more then happy to identify it. If by some fluke we can’t
help you, we’ll direct you to one of our good friends at a
museum or trading post who can.
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