Doug Hyde, Berry Pickers

Doug Hyde (Nez Perce/Assiniboine/Chippewa)

Doug Hyde was born in Hermiston, Oregon in 1946. Through the teachings of his grandfather and other elders, Hyde was carefully instructed in the legends and morals of his people. Hyde attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during which time he befriended and studied under the guidance of the late renowned Apache sculptor, Allan Houser. In 1967, Doug Hyde attended the San Francisco Art Institute on scholarship before enlisting in the U.S. Army. During his second tour of duty in Viet Nam, he was serious wounded by a grenade. During his recuperation, Hyde learned the use of power tools in the cutting and shaping of stone when he worked for a friend’s tombstone business. While he worked during the day, he continued his art education and sculpting at night. In a show sponsored by the Northern Plains Indian Museum in Browning, Montana, Doug Hyde entered and sold out his sculptures, realizing that he was ready to start his career in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

In 1973, a year after teaching at the Institute of American Indian Arts, he left the school to devote himself full-time to sculpting. Hyde's bronze and stone sculptures, often in monumental sizes, frequently represent childhood stories and historical events. What is of great importance to him is that they are accurate representations of their subject matter, and that process only occurs when he can visualize the finished sculpture in his mind. Doug Hyde has remained a resident of Santa Fe since 1972. His works may be viewed in the collections of the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Heard Museum, Museum of the Southwest, Southwest Museum, Gilcrease Museum, The Eiteljorg Museum, and the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center among others.