DENNIS NUMKENA

– DENNIS NUMKENA –

Hopi, 1941-2010

Dennis Numkena is recognized for his innovative contributions to contemporary Indigenous art. A Hopi from Arizona, Numkena's work is rooted in the cultural and spiritual traditions of his heritage. Numkena received his Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture from Arizona State University in 1970 and went on to form the first Native American owned architectural firm in the United States. 

Numkena drew inspiration from the sacred traditions and cosmology of the Hopi people, often infusing his works with symbolic references to the Katsinas (spirit beings), sacred landscapes, and ancestral wisdom. His ability to translate these cultural motifs into a modern, abstract idiom allowed him to bridge the gap between traditional Native American art and contemporary artistic movements. Numkena’s work from this sought-after period is distinctively architectonic.

Dennis Numkena's visionary work drew deeply from his Hopi heritage yet transcended cultural categorization. The artist received the Kent C. Ware Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the Arizona Indian Living Treasure Award in 2002. Numkena’s work is in public, private and corporate collections all over the world. Significant examples are included in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, the St. Louis Art Museum and the Heard Museum.