Dan Namingha

Kachina Figures, by Dan Namingha, green, black, framed, Hopi, drawing, katsina

1976

Painter and sculptor Dan Namingha is one of the preeminent Native American contemporary artists practicing today. A reverent spirit for nature and the land stands at the heart of his creations, as he celebrates the life and traditions of his Hopi heritage. The artistic influences on his dynamic minimalist works include Jackson Pollock, Michelangelo and Norman Rockwell. 

Namingha was born in Keams Canyon, Arizona. He is a member of the Hopi-Tewa tribe, an Indigenous nation known for vivid art, especially pottery. He comes from a long line of artists and potters. His mother is Dextra Quotskuyva, one of the most influential potters of the past century. His great-great-grandmother is Nampeyo, who is considered the godmother of Hopi pottery.

Namingha studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Sante Fe, which later awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2009. He also attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago. 

In 1992, he was the subject of the PBS documentary Dan Namingha: Seeking Center in Two Worlds. He has received many prestigious awards, including the Award and Tribute from the Harvard Foundation at the Fogg Art Museum of Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1994, the Visionary Award from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Sante Fe in 1997 and the Abbott Sekaquaptewa Award from the Futures for Children in 2008.

Major collections and museums holding his work include Booth Western Art Museum in Atlanta, the Náprstek Museum in Prague, the Royal Collection in London and the NASA Art Collection in Washington, DC.

Namingha lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he continues to create art that inspires viewers, collectors and critics.

On 1stDibs, explore the vibrant world of Dan Namingha through his sculptures, abstract works, landscape paintings and more.