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
Bahah Zhonie
Born
Tsegi Canyon, Arizona
Died(2017-03-02)March 2, 2017
Albuquerque, New Mexico
NationalityAmerican, Diné
Alma materSanta Fe Indian School
Occupationpainter

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
  1. King, Jeanne Snodgrass (1968). American Indian painters; a biographical directory. Smithsonian Libraries. New York : Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation.
  2. "Obituary of Frank Austin | Riverside Funeral Home of Albuquerque". riversidefunerals.com. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
  3. "Dove Bird | National Museum of the American Indian". americanindian.si.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
  4. Western Review Winter 1965: Vol 2 Iss 2. Internet Archive. Western New Mexico University. Winter 1965.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. "Frank Austin - Biography". www.askart.com. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
  6. "Petroglyphs | National Museum of the American Indian". americanindian.si.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
  7. 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.


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