Al Hubbard
Hubbard posed with a set of old crdit cards and IDs he uses as squeeges to spread paint across his prints.
Al Hubbard is an Arapaho and Navajo artist redefining the boundaries of Native American art with his own contemporary style. Growing up in Las Vegas for most of his childhood, Hubbard moved back to the Wind River Reservation to finish high school and out of serendipity reconnected his love for art and his native roots. Wanting to push himself further, he went to the Institute of American Indian Arts where he studied contemporary greats and found a way to combine influences from the likes of Basquiat and Warhol with rules and tendencies from Native art. Hubbard is making it his work to bring his knowledge and artistic style back to the Wind River Reservation.
Al Hubbard worked on a commisioned mural in the hall of the Frank B Wise building in Fort Washakie Jan. 11, 2025. Hubbard has a cohesive plan for murals throughout the building he hopes to finish working on this year.
Students watched as Al Hubbard talked about symmetry in design with a photo of a parfleche on the classroom's monitor. Hubbard was invited to teach Native American-themed art classes to Gannett Peak Elementary students for a week.
Gannet Peak third graders Vincent Redbow, Titan Crooks, and Coy Watson stood for a photo with their newly created parfleche designs April 15 in Lander. Along with their classmates the boys followed instructions given by guest lecturer Al Hubbard on how to make the traditional Plains Tribes container design.
Al Hubbard spread paint across a new piece he calls "Interruption of form" featuring a color pallete and shapes inspired by native tradition and story. "I believe we (native people) have the ability and knowledge to express ourselves through art," said Hubbard. "Even in art school I didn't totally fit in. I think it's fun to find new ways to express ideas." Hubbard draws from native themes and traditions as inspiration to create his own contemporary style of art, which aims to explore new avenues of native art.
Third grader Cora Joyes cut the shape for her parfleche out of paper Tuesday in Lander.
Al Hubbard sat for a portrait in his Riverton studio Thursday. Hubbard, who landed in Fremont County half way through his senior year of high school, has been making contemporary art and traveling the country showing it ever since.