Featured Artist: Urshel Taylor

Urshel was born at the Phoenix Indian School and is of Ute/Pima descent. He is a member of the Pima Salt River Community Indian Tribe. When Urshel was just two years old, his family moved to a working ranch on the Ute Reservation in Utah. It was on this ranch that he, along with two sisters and a brother, spent their growing up years.

In 1956, planning to make the military his career, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps where he served for eight years. However, by 1963 having children to consider, he decided that the transient lifestyle of the military was not what he wanted for his family so he resigned from the service.

Urshel then took a position teaching art at the Intermountain Inter-Tribal School in Brigham City, Utah. Where, at the same time, he continued to work on his own skills by studying with such noted artist as Kent Wallace and Professor Linstrom at Utah State University.

During his years at the Intermountain Inter-Tribal School, in addition to his teaching duties, he was Director of Cultural Affairs which included the pow-wows. Through this, he became more deeply involved with the traditional native American dances. He and his three sons Keith, Tony and Dan danced in competition for fifteen years. The dancing proved to be an important element in he personal and professional growth.

Urshel described the feeling of being dressed in traditional dress and dancing to a good drum ...

"I recognize the song and who is singing by the style and the drum they use ... it makes me feel very connected to the past and the traditions of my people ... it makes me feel Indian".

Want to know more? Click here: http://www.artnatam.com/utaylor/bio.html