A Life of Connection and Heritage

Steven Yazzie is a Native American artist enrolled in the Navajo Nation and of Laguna Pueblo descent on his father's side. Born in Newport Beach, California, his upbringing was shaped by significant transitions, including moving to an Arizona reservation in Black Mesa when he was six years old. His personal history is deeply intertwined with military service, having served in the Marine Corps during the first Gulf War in Desert Storm and Desert Shield. This connection to service is reflected in his work through the inspiration of his paternal grandfather, who was a World War II code-talker.

Yazzie’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Fine Arts in intermedia from Arizona State University, where he was named the outstanding graduate of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts in 2014. He also studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. While he is known for creating video art and installation environments, he describes painting as his first and most important medium.

Explorations of Land and Culture

The artistic practice of Steven Yazzie often involves immersive projects that bridge the gap between personal experience and cultural significance. In his Mountain Project, he sought to understand the four outlying sacred mountains of the Navajo people, including Sis' naajinni of Colorado and Dook' o' oosłíí of Arizona. This endeavor, which received a 2015 Artist Research and Development Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, utilized video documentation to explore the connection between community, culture, and the land. Similarly, his BWBY (Black White Blue Yellow) project uses sound and video to explore the significance of these mountains and the cardinal directions they represent.

His diverse body of work includes performance and film pieces such as Drawing and Driving, where he utilized a wooden cart with an attached easel to replicate landscapes like Monument Valley while traveling. His contributions to the art world also include co-founding the Museum of Walking and the organization Postcommodity. His work has been exhibited in numerous venues, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.