Dee J. Lafon
American, 1929-2011
Person TypeIndividual
Citizen Band Potawatomi/Muscogee (Creek), 1912-1989
Chiricahua Apache, Warm Springs/Diné (Navajo), b. 1943
BiographyAs a young man, Lafon distinguished himself as a champion swimmer and was making a living as an artist at the age of 18. He was featured by Life Magazine as one of America’s top emerging artists in 1951. He received his B.F.A. (1960) and M.F.A. (1962) in painting and drawing from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He worked as an illustrator and taught painting and drawing before assuming the chairmanship of the Art Department at East Central University, Ada, OK in 1964. Following his retirement from that position in 1984, he established a studio in Norman and devoted himself to his artwork. He has served as the Visual Arts Director for the Oklahoma Arts Institute and a Guest Artist at Wichita State University in 1990.