Darren Vigil Gray
Painter Darren Vigil Gray's talent lies in his ability to mix tradition with imagination.
Darren Vigil Gray
Santa Fe
2013 Recipient, Individual Artist
Painter Darren Vigil Gray's talent lies in his ability to mix tradition with imagination, said nominator Even Feldman, administrative director of contemporary art at Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe. Gray has an international audience of collectors with gallery exhibitions in France and Great Britain. He was honored with a retrospective at the Wheelwright Museum of Art in 2002 and is scheduled to have a solo exhibition at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. His work is included in such prestigious institutions as the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the Denver Art Museum. Gray also dedicates significant time to bring the arts to the children of New Mexico. He works closely with New Mexico School for the Arts, where his daughters attend school, assisting with fundraising and donating his time and craft. He has taught print workshops in local Elementary schools, as well as, serving as a role model for young Native artists. His schooling at the Institute of American Indian Arts has given a solid foundation to his work. N. Scott Momaday, Gray's father-in-law, said he believes Gray's chief accomplishment has been "redefining the genre, of bringing Native art to a different level of expression."