Frank Austin (artist)
Frank Austin (c. 1938–March 2, 2017), also called Bahah Zhonie ("Happy Boy" in Navajo), is a Navajo American painter and textile artist born in Tsegi Canyon, Arizona, under the Navajo Salt Clan.[1][2] He has exhibited his work across the country[1] and is known for his silkscreen designs and textile paintings. Some of his works are in the permanent collection of institutions including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.[3]
Frank Austin | |
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Bahah Zhonie | |
Born | |
Died | |
Nationality | American, Diné |
Alma mater | Santa Fe Indian School |
Occupation | painter |
Austin's work included portraits, landscapes, and depictions of wildlife.[4] He worked for a time under Lloyd H. New as a textile artist at Kiva Fashion-Creative.[1][5] In 1970 he opened a textile business, Nizhonie Fabrics, in Cortez, Colorado, offering hand-printed textiles.[6][2][7]
Personal life
Austin was one of eight children of Buck and Martha Smallcanyon Austin. He studied at the Phoenix Indian School, graduating in 1958.[1] He then attended Arizona State University and the University of Arizona as the recipient of a Southwest Indian Art Scholarship as well as a Rockefeller Scholarship.[2]
He married Rose L. Adajie in 1960 and had three children.[1] Austin died in March 2017 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[2]
References
- King, Jeanne Snodgrass (1968). American Indian painters; a biographical directory. Smithsonian Libraries. New York : Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation.
- "Obituary of Frank Austin | Riverside Funeral Home of Albuquerque". riversidefunerals.com. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
- "Dove Bird | National Museum of the American Indian". americanindian.si.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
- Western Review Winter 1965: Vol 2 Iss 2. Internet Archive. Western New Mexico University. Winter 1965.
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: CS1 maint: others (link) - "Frank Austin - Biography". www.askart.com. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- "Petroglyphs | National Museum of the American Indian". americanindian.si.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- Affairs, United States Congress House Committee on Interior and Insular (1979). Indian Economic Development Programs: Oversight Hearings Before the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, First Session ... U.S. Government Printing Office.