Frank Austin
Frank Austin (March 1937 – March 2, 2017), also called Bahah Zhonie ("Happy Boy" in Navajo), was an American Navajo painter and textile artist.
Also recorded as Bahah Zhonie · Happy Boy
Frank Austin
- Name
- Frank Austin
- Born
- March 1937
- Birthplace
- Tsegi Canyon, Arizona, U.S.
- Died
- 2 March 2017
- Place of death
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
- Education
- Santa Fe Indian School
- Occupation
- painter
- Full name
- Bahah Zhonie.
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Documentary summary
Frank Austin (March 1937 – March 2, 2017), also called Bahah Zhonie ("Happy Boy" in Navajo), was an American Navajo painter and textile artist.
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Note VALÉORINE
Frank Austin (1938–2017) was a painter, printmaker and textile artist. The painter was born Bahah Zhonie in Tsegi Canyon and died in Albuquerque. Frank Austin was educated at Arizona State University, Phoenix Indian School and University of Arizona. Works are held at National Museum of the American Indian.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Frank Austin • Native Name — Bahah Zhonie • Born — March 1937 • Birthplace — Tsegi Canyon, Arizona, U.S. • Died — 2 March 2017 • Place of death — Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. • Citizenship — American, Diné • Education — Santa Fe Indian School • Occupation — painter
Early life and career
Early life and career
Frank Austin was born in Tsegi Canyon, Arizona in March 1937, under the Navajo Salt Clan. He has exhibited his work across the country, and is known for his silkscreen designs and textile paintings. Some of his works are in the permanent collection of institutions including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Austin's work included portraits, landscapes, and depictions of wildlife. He worked for a time under Lloyd H. New as a textile artist at Kiva Fashion-Creative. In 1970 he opened a textile business, Nizhonie Fabrics, in Cortez, Colorado, offering hand-printed textiles.
Personal life and death
Personal life and death
Austin was one of eight children of Buck and Martha Smallcanyon Austin. He studied at the Phoenix Indian School, graduating in 1958. He then attended Arizona State University and the University of Arizona as the recipient of a Southwest Indian Art Scholarship, as well as a Rockefeller Scholarship. In 1960, Austin married Rose L. Adajie, and they had three children. Frank Austin died in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 2, 2017.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Tsegi Canyon.
Birth place
Albuquerque.
Death place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Obituary of Frank Austin Riverside Funeral Home of Albuquerque. riversidefunerals.com.
- 2.King, Jeanne Snodgrass. American Indian painters; a biographical directory. New York : Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation. 1968.
- 3.Dove Bird National Museum of the American Indian. americanindian.si.edu.
- 4.Western New Mexico University. Western Review Winter 1965: Vol 2 Iss 2. Winter 1965.
- 5.Frank Austin - Biography. www.askart.com.
- 6.Petroglyphs National Museum of the American Indian. americanindian.si.edu.
- 7.Affairs, United States Congress House Committee on Interior and Insular. Indian Economic Development Programs: Oversight Hearings Before the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, First Session . U.S. Government Printing Office. 1979.
References
Citations
References
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authority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Prints
4,138 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- François-Philippe CharpentierEngraver
- Françoise Bouzonnet-StellaEngraver
- Françoise BujoldEngraver
- Françoise PétrovitchEngraver
- Frank BrangwynEngraver
- Frank BrannonEngraver
- Frank Henry BartelsEngraver
- Frank KacmarcikEngraver
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