Dana Tiger

  Dana’s work portrays Native American women as historical and contemporary leaders.  Her art provides us with a glimpse of wisdom and spirit, embodied in the subjects’ determination to resolve and persevere.  This ability is drawn from her experiences as a Muscogee/Seminole and Cherokee woman surrounded by the art of her father, Jerome Tiger, whose influence is felt wherever there is Native American art, and the guidance of her mother, Peggy Tiger.

  The Tiger name has a distinguishing place in the history of Native American art.  Although Jerome Tiger died when Dana was only five, he left a prolific legacy.  Jerome’s brother, Johnny Tiger, Jr., recognized Dana’s talent early, and served as a mentor and tutor.  Inspired by her fathers work, Dana pursued her artistic skills, as a way to know him.  Through his delicate brush strokes she learned of her fathers’ genius and the extraordinary richness of her Native American culture.

  During high school and college, Dana won numerous awards for her paintings.  In 1985, at the age of twenty-four, she began her full time career as an artist.  From the beginning, her one woman shows have been sellouts, establishing her as on of America’s leading contemporary artists.

  Dana has enjoyed many triumphs and endured great tragedy; the death of her father from an accidental gunshot wound in 1967; the murder of her brother Chris in 1990; and in 1992, Lisa Tiger, Dana’s only surviving sibling tested positive for HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

  Inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001 for advocacy through art on behalf of women, children and Native Americans, Dana’s work continually reflects her involvement with her community.  She founded and directs Legacy Cultural Learning Community, a non profit organization, devoted to making the arts accessible to Native youth.  By taping into the creative spirits of tribal citizens, she hopes to preserve, build upon and honor, the artistic legacies of her family and her people.