Dana Tiger

4 Pages 1115 Words

Dana Tiger
Dana Tiger has established herself as one of America’s leading contemporary artist. Dana was born in 1961 and is of Creek/Seminole and Cherokee descent. She is the daughter of Jerome and Peggy tiger and has a brother named Chris and a sister named Lisa. Dana’s father was a nationally claimed artist until he died of an accidental self inflicted gunshot wound to the head in 1967, when Dana was only five. Her mother Peggy was always a housewife and remains today as her only parent. Her brother Chris was also an artist until he was murdered in 1990 and in 1992 her only surviving sibling, Lisa, was told she tested positive for HIV. Dana was married to Donnie Blair in 1992. They have a daughter named Christie and a son named Coleman Lian. They live in a log cabin studio in the country near Tahlequah, Oklahoma right in the heart of the Cherokee Nation (Dana Tiger, “Biography,” http://www.artnatam.com/dtiger/bio.html).
Dana was raised by her mother and her uncle, Johnny Tiger Jr. was sort of a father figure to her. Although Jerome Tiger died when Dana was only five, he was a prolific legacy. Dana’s Uncle Johnny recognized her talent early, and served as a mentor and tutor. Her mother Peggy also gave Dana a lot of guidance. She received her education from Oklahoma State University and received a lot of art instruction from her uncle. She has won several awards from juried competitions as a student from the Five Civilized Tribes Museum and the Heard Museum. As a professional artist she has also won several awards including the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in 1978, 1980 and 1987; the Tulsa Indian Art Festival and Pow Wow in 1988 and 1989, and the Cherokee National Museum in 1988 and 1989. In 1985 at age twenty-four, Dana began her full time career as an artist. Since then, her one-woman shows have been sellouts (Dana Tiger, “Biography,” http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Museum/5059/danabio.html).
Dana is a m...