Phyllis Fife

(Muskogee Creek | 1948 - present)

Phyllis Fife was born near Dustin, Oklahoma and attended IAIA from 1963 to 1966. She received her BFA from the University of Oklahoma in 1973, a Master of Education degree at Northeastern State University, and a Doctor of Education from Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Tahlequah. Along with advocating for American Indian education, Dr. Fife is an artist specializing in painting, graphic arts, and fashion design. Her paintings, including Life Within, are abstractions of nature, combining representational and expressionistic elements. Rendered in a gestural painting style, Life Within invites viewers to think about themes of human livelihood and existence.