McKusick/Gila Pottery Tiles

McKusick tiles were made in 5 sizes: 3", 4.25", 5.75", 7.75" and 11.75". The sizes are approximate as many of the tiles vary slightly. The 4.25" and 5.75" tiles are the most common.  There were 12 wildlife tiles made for a Bank in Scottsdale in the 11.75" size which have since been removed. I don't know of any others in that size.  I have seen only three tiles in the 7.75" size: a pair of Cardinals, a pair of Blue Jays, and a pair of Goldfinches. The Cardinal and Blue Jay tiles can be seen at Bullion Plaza Cultural Center & Museum in Miami, AZ in the McKusick Tile Works Exhibit Room. Initiated by Robert McKusick, some of the 5.75" and 7.75" tiles were produced in limited editions of 100, 500 or 1,000. Those numbers were the maximum amount made, but don't indicate that the edition limit was reached. There were also tiles of the same design made in both limited and open editions. Many designs were produced in 3 sizes: 3...

White Bear Tile at Bullion Plaza Oswald “White Bear” Fredericks (1905-1996) was an artist, cultural historian and educator . He spent a lot of time working for various youth organizations. He also collected oral histories of the Hopi people. Frank Waters used those histories as the basis for Book of the Hopi . White Bear also provided the drawings for that book. His carved kachinas can be seen in the Goldwater Kachina Collection at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. White Bear was one of the Native American artists who worked with the McKusicks. He provided designs for some of their most intricate and beautiful tiles. Designs included kachina masks, whimsical roadrunner and mudhead figures, kachinas in the desert and at pueblos, and traditional Hopi themes. Bullion Plaza Cultural Center and Museum has a case dedicated to White Bear tiles. From the Bullion Plaza exhibit From the Bullion Plaza exhibit Two 6" tiles. Many of the White Bear tiles fit together to form longer panels. From t...