About the Artist

(1912-1989) "Woodrow Crumbo was an American Indian artist, flautist and dancer of Potawatomi descent. As an independant prospector, he found one of the largest beryllium veins in the nation. His paintings are held by several museums including the Smithsonian Institute and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Born in Oklahoma, Crumbo moved with his mother to Kansas as child after the death of his father in 1916. Orphaned in 1919, he spent the rest of his childhood living with various American Indian families. He earned a scholarship to the Wichita American Indian Institute, graduating as valedictorian to continue his studies at Wichita University and the University of Oklahoma.

After his teacher at Chilocco Indian School sold some of Crumbo's paintings to the San Francisco Museum of Art, Crumbo shifted his career plans from professional Native American dancer to visual artist. Between 1938 and 1941 Crumbo worked as Director of Art at the Bacone College in Muskogee. A few years later he curated a collection of Native American art at the Thomas Gilcrease Institute in Tulsa."  excerpted from Wikipedia