Duane Dishta was born in Zuni, New Mexico on November 21, 1946, to Frank Dishta and Elizabeth Malani. His father was already a very famous silversmith, and his mother was half Hopi, making Duane ¾ Zuni and ¼ Hopi.Duane learned silversmithing at an early age, but his fascination leaned more toward painting, with ceremonies and spiritual figures being a huge influence on his artwork. He learned his art technique on his own, with no formal training. Duane also contributed drawings for Barton Wright’s book ‘Kachinas of the Zuni’.
Duane was an extremely talented artist. In addition to his finely detailed paintings and silversmithing, he was also one of the most distinctive and talented Katsina doll carvers from Zuni, NM (which is twenty miles South of Gallup). Apart from a brief time as a firefighter in the sixties, Duane had made his living solely as an artist. Although his work has a very broad spectrum, his legacy is likely to be his paintings.
During his lifetime Duane won many awards at shows such as the Gallup Inter-tribal Ceremonial, Heard Museum show and others of such caliber. Sadly Duane passed away on February 26th 2011. He will be deeply missed by family, friends and collectors.
- Amber Jones
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