Supai Dancer

Mrs. Namingha forwarded Dan's explanation for Supai Dancer:

"The Supai kachina represents the Havasupai people.  This kachina appears usually during the water kiva ceramonies or during the spring and summer ceremonies. This kachina also is referred to as the Havasupai uncle or Havasupai side dancer who will dance along side other kachinas an motions to the song that is being sung during the ceremony."

This vibrant painting is a wonderful testimony to Dan's special brand of expressionism!

(Born 1950) This Hopi artist was formally trained at the University of Kansas, at the Institute of American Indian Arts and at the American Academy of Art in Chicago.

Solo exhibitions of his work have been held at Museum of Northern Arizona, at the Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California and at the California Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. He is listed in Who's Who in American Art and the International Biographical Center's Men of Achievement. Namingha was explored thoroughly in a book published in 2000 by Harry Abrams. Inc. The Art of Dan Namingha by Thomas Hoving. He is also the cover artist for Native Peoples Magazine Market 2000 issue.

He is currently represented by his family-owned Niman Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dan has exhibited internationally. sponsored by the United States Information Agency. He was selected by the Smithsonian Institution in 1996 to create a commemorative lithography to celebrate their 150th anniversary. He is the recipient of the Governors Award for Excellence and Achievement in the Arts by the State of New Mexico. The Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts. exhibited his work in 1994 and presented him with a tribute for his outstanding contribution to American art. Native American culture and intercultural relations. He was given a one-man exhibit at the Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania which traveled to Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh.

He and his wife Frances created together two artistic sons, Michael and Arlo.  All three Naminghas offer their paintings and sculptures online at www.Namingha.com