Benjamin Harjo - 2012 OSU Alumni Hall of Fame

Benjamin Harjo Jr. of Oklahoma City, Okla., graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. Harjo is a Seminole and Absentee Shawnee who is one of the nation’s leading American Indian artists. His work has been featured in several publications including, The National Museum of American Indian, Washington DC magazine, Southwest Art Today, Oklahoma Today and Art of the West. His work can be viewed in public collections including the Fred E. Brown Collection at the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Red Earth Center, Gilcrease Museum, Wheelright Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian. In 1987, Harjo received the Red Earth Grand Award at the Red Earth Festival. Harjo was the Featured Artist for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian’s Annual Aspen Benefit in 1993 and 1994. In 2002, Harjo was named an OSU Distinguished Alumnus by the OSU Alumni Association. He was named Signature Artist of the 2005 Santa Fe Indian Market. In 2009, Harjo was named an Oklahoma Living Treasure by the OU Health Center and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement by the Native American Art Studies Association. Harjo is a member of the OSU Alumni Association.