Frank Buffalo Hyde facts for kids

Frank Buffalo Hyde (born in 1974) is a talented artist from the Onondaga Beaver Clan. He grew up on his mother's Onondaga reservation in New York. Frank started showing his art when he was just 18 years old, mostly as a hobby.

He became more serious about his art career after attending the Institute of American Indian Arts. People describe his artwork as "Bold, Culturally Relevant and Inspiring!" He uses bright colors and often paints animals, especially buffaloes, and scenes from his tribe. Frank combines modern culture, like the internet and technology, with Native American ideas in his art.

Hyde says his art aims to highlight social and political issues in today's world. He is driven by problems in society and in the lives of Native Americans. His main goal is to change how people see Native American art and to get rid of old stereotypes. He also hopes to inspire young Native American artists to create the art they truly want to make, without worrying if it's "Indian enough" or "Native enough."

About Frank Buffalo Hyde

Frank Buffalo Hyde was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He spent his early years on his mother's Onondaga reservation. Later, he returned to Santa Fe to study at the Santa Fe Fine Arts Institute and the Institute of American Indian Arts. When he was growing up, he looked up to artists like Fritz Scholder and T.C. Cannon. He admired how they playfully challenged common myths about Native Americans.

Frank's father, Doug Hyde, is a famous sculptor. He is recognized as a tribal artisan by the Nez Perce Tribe, and his sculptures have been shown at the Smithsonian Museum. As a child, Frank often tried to help his father with his sculptures. However, a few close calls with a saw made him a bit scared!

Frank once turned down an art scholarship to Pratt Institute because he wanted to "chase stardom in a rock band." But after about six months, he decided he wanted to go to school instead of being a musician. He enrolled at the Institute of American Indian Arts. At first, he couldn't sign up for painting classes, so he chose writing. Slowly, Frank became more interested in painting and decided to focus on two-dimensional art rather than writing.

As he became more dedicated to his paintings, Frank moved with his wife, Courtney M. Leonard, to the North Coast. There, he began to make a name for himself. Other artists, like Bob Benson and Sue Natzler, noticed his work. Soon, he started showing his art in many exhibitions. Some of his most important shows included a solo exhibition at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian and several shows in Santa Fe galleries. As his art became more popular, Hyde became an artist in residence at the Museum of Contemporary Native American Art, living there with his wife and other artists.

In 2023, Frank Buffalo Hyde was a contestant on The Exhibit: Finding the Next Great Artist. This was a reality TV show that aired on MTV and the Smithsonian Channel.

Frank's Artworks

Here are some of Frank Buffalo Hyde's well-known artworks:

• Buffalo Fields Forever, 2012
• In-Appropriate #3, 2013
• Bison Selfie, 2016
• Bigfoot Basin, 2018

Exhibitions

Frank Buffalo Hyde's art has been shown in many places, including:

• 2003 Popular, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
• 2004 Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and other Oddities, Cline Fine Art
• 2005 Native American Contemporary Art, Jewish Community Center
• 2009 Continuum, solo show, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
• 2012 Works on Paper by Contemporary Native Artists, Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts
• 2013 Cross Currents, Center For Visual Art, MSU Denver
• 2014 Frank Buffalo Hyde, Modern West Fine Art

Collections

You can find Frank Buffalo Hyde's artwork in these public collections:

• Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC
• The Iroquois Museum, Cobleskill, NY
• The Longyear Museum, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
• Office of the Japanese Ambassador to the United States
• Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe
• Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe
• Sprint Corporate Collection, Overland Park, KS.