Timeline

Tribal Affiliation: Jicarilla Apache/Kiowa Apache

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

College of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM

Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM

Darren Vigil Gray is Jicarilla Apache. He was born in Dulce, New Mexico and has spent most of his life in his home state experiencing the Southwestern landscape and all of its mysteries. His identity and place of birth have been a tremendous driving force in the theme of his artwork, and he also attributes the abstract expressionist movement to the ways in which he chooses to approach a canvas. Vigil Gray grew up attending and performing on the pow-wow circuit which he says helped him explore his heritage. His relatives, Francis and Nossman Vigil were painters and helped to shape his early interest in making his own works. For high school he attended the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), a tribal college in Santa Fe, and then went on to attend The College of Santa Fe, where he met artists Fritz Scholder and T.C Cannon (who would become his mentor) and The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Vigil Gray’s paintings explore the roots of his Apache identity and of their tribal rituals, the rich hues of the South Western landscape and his deep devotion to family and tradition. His works can be found in various collections nationwide, as well as in multiple museums: Tucson Museum of Art, Museum of Native American Art (Santa Fe, NM), The Bruce Museum (Greenwich, CT), National Museum of American Arts (DC), and The Philbrook Museum of Art (Tulsa, OK).