Mother, a Beautiful Young Lady (detail)
Hai-Chi Jihn

Technically self-taught as a jeweler, Pueblo artist Mike Bird-Romero learned basic metalworking skills during middle school and trained himself in later years as he began to pursue jewelry making seriously. As part of his education and interest, Bird-Romero researched historic Navajo and Pueblo jewelry—sometimes collecting and repairing it—and studied significant contemporary silversmiths. Further inspired by petroglyphs from canyon walls in the Southwest, Bird-Romero is known for creating bold, sculptural interpretations of traditional Indigenous designs.