Steven Yazzie facts for kids
Steven Yazzie, born in 1970, is a talented artist. He is a member of the Navajo Nation and also has Laguna Pueblo heritage from his father's family. While he makes cool video art and art installations, he says painting is his favorite and most important way to create.
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About Steven Yazzie
Steven Yazzie was born in Newport Beach, California, in 1970. He has three younger brothers. When he was four, his parents divorced. Less than a year later, his mother married a Navajo man. When Steven was six, his stepfather moved the family to a reservation in Black Mesa, Arizona.
Later, Steven Yazzie joined the Marine Corps. He was part of the first Gulf War, in operations called Desert Storm and Desert Shield. When he came back home, he learned something amazing. His grandfather on his father's side had been a code-talker in World War II. Code-talkers used their native languages to send secret messages. Steven's grandfather has inspired many of his artworks.
His Education
Steven Yazzie studied art at Arizona State University. He earned his bachelor's degree in fine arts, focusing on intermedia. In 2014, he graduated from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and was named the outstanding graduate. He also spent some time studying at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine.
Amazing Art Projects
Steven Yazzie has led several interesting art projects. He helped start a group called Postcommodity with other artists, Kade L. Twist and Nathan Young. He later left Postcommodity, which is now led by Kade L. Twist and Cristóbal Martínez. Steven also co-founded the Museum of Walking with Angela Ellsworth at Arizona State University.
Drawing and Driving
Drawing and Driving was a unique art project. It combined performance, drawing, and film. For this project, Steven built a special wooden cart. This cart had a way to hold an easel, so he could draw while driving!
He rode the cart through Monument Valley, a beautiful area with tall rock formations. As he rode, he tried to draw the landscape, including the buttes and mesas he saw. All of this was filmed. When the artwork is shown, it includes the video of Steven riding and creating. This helps people connect his art to the amazing places he traveled through.
The Mountain Project
The Mountain Project began as Steven's personal journey. He wanted to better understand the four sacred mountains of the Navajo people. This project includes several different parts.
The first part involved hiking two of these mountains: Sis' naajinni in Colorado and Dook' o' oosłíí in Arizona. Steven has sometimes felt distant from his Navajo heritage because he doesn't speak the language. So, he used this project to connect more deeply with these important places. He filmed his hikes, sharing his thoughts and discoveries about the land.
These artworks started as a personal way to explore the cultural meaning of the mountains. Steven is still working on this project. He wants to connect his art to the community and how these special places impact everyone. The 2015 Artist Research and Development Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts helped fund this project.
BWBY (Black White Blue Yellow)
Another project that features the four sacred Navajo mountains is called BWBY. The letters stand for Black, White, Blue, and Yellow. These colors represent the four main directions for the Navajo people: North, East, South, and West. Each color and direction is linked to one of the sacred mountains: DIb' e Nitsaa, Sis' naajini, Tsoodzil, and Dook' o' słíí.
BWBY is an art project that uses sound and video. It explores how important these mountains are for keeping Navajo culture and knowledge alive.
Where His Art Has Been Shown
Steven Yazzie's art has been displayed in many places, including:
- Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
- National Museum of the American Indian, New York, NY
- National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
- The Museum of Contemporary Native Art, Santa Fe, NM
- Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ
- Phoenix Art Museum
- Arizona State University Art Museum
- Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
- Tucson Museum of Contemporary Art
- Tucson Museum of Art
- Museum of Northern Arizona
Awards and Recognition
Steven Yazzie has received several awards for his work:
- 2014 Outstanding Graduate for the Herberger Institute for Design and International Exhibitions
- Joan Mitchell Award
He has also received grants to help fund his projects:
- Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
- National Endowment for the Arts
- 2015 Artist Research and Development Grant from the Arizona Commission of the Arts
