Frank Austin (March 1937 – March 2, 2017), also called Bahah Zhonie ("Happy Boy" in Navajo), was an American Navajo painter and textile artist.
Frank Austin | |
|---|---|
Bahah Zhonie | |
| Born | March 1937 Tsegi Canyon, Arizona, U.S. |
| Died | March 2, 2017 (aged 79–80) Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Nationality | American, Diné |
| Alma mater | Santa Fe Indian School |
| Occupation | painter |
Early life and career
editFrank Austin was born in Tsegi Canyon, Arizona in March 1937, 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]
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 and death
editAustin 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]
In 1960, Austin married Rose L. Adajie, and they had three children.[1] Frank Austin died in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 2, 2017.[2]
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e King, Jeanne Snodgrass (1968). American Indian painters; a biographical directory. Smithsonian Libraries. New York : Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation.
- ^ a b c d "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. Western New Mexico University. Winter 1965.
- ^ "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.
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