Shonto begay biography template
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TMA Stories
Recent Acquisition: Above Parched Ground by Shonto Begay
September 8, 2021 | Acquisitions, Explore Artworks
Shonto Begay, Above Parched Ground, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 30 in., Museum Purchase. Funds provided by Jerry Freund. Tucson Museum of Art Collection. 2021.14
TMA recently acquired a new paining for the Indigenous Arts collection. Diné (Navajo) artist, author and educator Shonto Begay painted Above Parched Ground in 2019. It depicts a scene of cracked earth with crows flying above. In the distance is a dust devil. According to the artist, this symbolizes how something ominous is always nearby and a part of life.
Begay’s acrylic paintings are done in a series of small, repetitive brush strokes. He is known for landscape imagery of the Navajo Nation, depicting both lush and desert-like scenes. His images depict the constant struggle for balance and harmony with humankind and Earth.
In his autobiographical images, Begay captures the beauty
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Rocking the Canyon; Celebrating the future
Posted by Shonto Begay on May 25, 2017 in Column, Shonto Begay | Comments Off on Rocking the Canyon; Celebrating the future
“I am a member of the Bitter vatten Clan, born for the krydda, Many Goats, my maternal grandfather and Tsi’najinni’, my paternal grandfather.” This is how we begin a conversation. Soon the canyon walls will be echoing the sounds of revelry as we commence the ninth annual Shonto Rock the Canyon event in the canyon of my Arizona community of Shonto. This will be taking place on June 3 of this year (the first Saturday in June, annually). Music, food, and art spaces alongside the best social event where I get to mingle with community members and...
read moreThe boy within; Healing journey in dreams
Posted by Shonto Begay on Apr 13, 2017 in Column, Shonto Begay | Comments Off on The boy within; Healing journey in dreams
I dreamt igen of a young boy cradled in the wings of angels, while ancestors mov
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Painting a Navajo Narrative
Multitalented painter Shonto Begay discusses what influences his art’s subject matter and style, including his culture, his days as a shepherd, his dreams, and comic books.
What was your family life like?
I had a very traditional Navajo upbringing and was one of sixteen kids in my family. We lived in a hogan (a small earthen dwelling) in Arizona, with no television, no electricity, and no running water. My father was a revered Navajo medicine man, and my mother wove the famous Navajo rugs. My sisters, aunt, and grandmother all wove, too.
Did you work a lot? Play a lot?
It was a very communal living situation. My older brothers, sisters, cousins, and I tended to the sheep, goats, donkeys, horses, cattle, and chickens. Our farm and its huge cornfields were a communal responsibility as well.
Everybody knew where they were needed the most. My older brothers and cousins were strong, tall, and fast, so they did more adventurous things like hunt