Fred Cleaveland

 

Fred Cleaveland is a Navajo artist who was raised in a Hogan in the rugged high Desert Mountains near Ganado, AZ where his family raised sheep. He was first exposed to art when he watched his mother weave rugs and his father create images through the process of sand painting. He left the reservation for a time when his mother taught weaving at Arizona State College in Flagstaff. She could not afford a babysitter and as he sat close by her in the classroom, students would pass him pencils and paper to work with and keep him busy. This was his introduction to a means of expression that he has used ever since.

Fred Cleveland has won numerous awards for his work. Nearly every year since 1978 he has placed either 1st or 2nd at the New Mexico State Fair. Fred has also won numerous 1st and 2nd place awards since 1969 from Heard Museum and the Philbrook Museum of Indian Art competitions. In 1972 Fred won the Grand Award in Art at the Navajo Tribal Fair, an award that he prizes more than most. He currently resides in New Mexico.

 

Apache Crown Dancer

Donated to the Koshare Indian Museum by Koshare Chris Baker in memory of his father Galen Baker.

Donated 2007