CRAIG GEORGE

Craig George, Diné (Navajo), was born on the Navajo Reservation in Ganado, Arizona, in 1971. Shortly after birth, Craig’s family moved to Los Angeles where his parents had previously lived while attending the Sherman Indian Boarding School in Riverside, CA. Craig’s parents originally moved to Los Angeles as part of the Indian Relocation Act of 1956.



Craig credits his childhood friends from the Hispanic community in LA for teaching him the art of tagging. Craig was also encouraged by a Los Angeles police officer who - after frequently catching Craig tagging walls in the neighborhood - encouraged him to focus on his natural gift of art. Craig thus enrolled at the prestigious Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.



Craig’s work reflects two vastly different cultural experiences: his upbringing in Los Angeles’ south central neighborhood and traditional Navajo life living on the Navajo Reservation.



As Craig points out, ‘I was born on the rez, raised in LA and now I’m back on the rez.'