Description
Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1954. She was then relocated to the Navajo reservation in 1966. Her mother, Minnie McGirt, is part of the Seminole and Muskogee Nations and her father, Andrew V. Tsinhnahjinnie, of the Diné Nation. Born into the Bear and Raccoon clans, Hulleah was influenced by her parents, especially her father, in the world of art. While living on the Navajo Reservations, she met her share of racist encounters while attending the Arizona public school system. A major part of her artwork comes from her pride as an indigenous woman and in her culture. She refuses to give in to the western stereotype that Native Americans are fated to disappear. Her artwork shows many of the stereotypes regarding Native Americans in the United States as well as her strong will and pride in her culture. In 1975 she attended the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and in 1978 she studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland where she received her B.F.A. in painting with a minor in photography in 1981. Today, she resides in the Bay Area where she continues to rise up in the art world. Tsinhnahjinnie participated in Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence Program in 1995 and 1999.
