Peter Hiller - The Life and Times of Jo Mora: Iconic Artist of the American West

I first became aware of Jo Mora more than twenty-five years ago. I was working in the storage room of a school where I taught, and in an old bin I uncovered Moras colorful Evolution of the Cowboy and Indians of North America cartesMoras word for his maps and posters. Immediately I was intrigued. How did this artist include so much factual information in such a small space, and with such a wonderful sense of design? Soon after, I found myself admiring these same posters in the collection of a colleague, Jim Munger. He told me he grew up with the posters in his bedroom and casually threw darts at them as a mischievous youngster.

Not long after this incident I came upon one of Moras marvelous Hotel Del Monte menusthe pirate image, one in a series of twelveat a Western event at the Trail and Saddle Club in Carmel Valley, California. My wife and I immediately bought it for our young son because of his interest in pirates.

Having a background in art and art history, I was surprised that the work of a single artist could vary so much in style and theme. A pivotal moment occurred later when I first encountered the prints of Moras katchina images. I had a preexisting interest in Hopi and Navajo material, having grown up with like items in my family home, and always felt the aesthetics of the work pull at my heartstrings. Moras watercolors of katchina figures were the most stunning I had ever seen. The clarity of the compositions and detailed execution took my breath away. I became hooked on all matters Jo Mora.

I then stumbled upon a modest booklet, Collecting Jo Mora, by Joss Grandeau and Don Shorts. This publication referenced several people whose paths I had already crossed, and I thus discovered a small but dedicated group who shared an intense interest in Jo Mora. Betty Hoag McGlynn and Bonnie Gartshore were local writers and researchers who lived nearby and had written about Mora. Terry Ahlberg and Jon Gilmore, together with Joss Grandeau, were true and devoted Mora fans and collectors.

These connections brought to my attention more of Moras ephemera, and I soon realized there was a significant amount of his work out there in the world. I will never forget standing in an antique shop in Monterey, California, looking at the display of Steve Travailles collection of Mora material and realizing that the perfect way to bring to light this more substantial body of work would be to organize a major retrospective museum exhibition of Jo Moras artistic accomplishments.