NEIL RANDALL DAVID

- NEIL RANDALL DAVID -

Hopi/Tewa, 1944—

Neil Randall David Sr. is a Hopi-Tewa painter, draftsman, and katsina carver from Hano, on First Mesa in Arizona. Raised in an artistic family, he learned carving from his grandfather, the katsina carver Victor (Kawayo) Charlie, while his grandmother, potter Lena (Blue Corn) Charlie, also influenced his early development. He studied art with the influential Hopi painter Fred Kabotie and served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1968 before returning to the Hopi Reservation and pursuing art full time. Working in watercolor, acrylic, tempera, drawing, and woodcarving, David has focused throughout his career on Hopi ceremonial life, katsinam, dancers, village scenes, and cultural history.

David is also a founding member of Artist Hopid, the influential collective established in the early 1970s with Michael Kabotie and Terrance Talaswaima and later expanded to include Delbridge Honanie and Milland Lomakema. The group sought to use contemporary art to document Hopi history and communicate Hopi cultural values while moving beyond the limitations of the commercially popular notions of Native American artwork. David's paintings are noted for their detailed depictions of ceremonies and community life, while his katsina carvings—particularly his interpretations of the Koshare—have become central to his artistic identity. His long career has earned him broad recognition, including the 2005 Arizona Indian Living Treasures Award.

David's work is held in the collections of major institutions including the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, the Heard Museum, the Gorman Museum of Native American Art at UC Davis, and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma. His work and that of Artist Hopid have been exhibited widely at institutions including the Museum of Northern Arizona, Heard Museum, Tucson Art Center, Museum of Man in San Diego, Taylor Museum in Colorado Springs, Flagstaff Art Museum, Montclair Art Museum, and Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. His work has also been presented internationally, including programs at the Linden Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. In 2026, his work is featured in major Artist Hopid exhibitions at the Museum of Northern Arizona, reflecting his continuing importance to the history of modern and contemporary Hopi art.