After completing her education at the Haskell Institute, she attended Santa Fe Indian School, studying weaving, dancing, and cultural arts.

Josephine Myers[6] was born on February 10, 1912, on her grandmother's allotment near Apache, Oklahoma, to Hevah (née Lena Fischer) and James H.

[7] She was one of nine children: Mima, Randlett Cragg, Rudolph Fisher, Catherine, Josephine, Melvin, Walker, Vincent, and Alvin.

[11] Focused on utilizing primarily natural materials, she taught her students to appreciate Native and Native-inspired garments and accessories and tried to impart the tribal traditions from which the techniques had arisen.

[23] In 1968, Wapp and ceramicist Otellie Loloma, a colleague at IAIA, coordinated a dance exhibition with their students which they performed at the White House and then at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

[11] After retirement, Wapp gave demonstrations of hand weaving techniques and spoke widely on traditional Indian arts.

[31] In 2013, she was the recipient of the Povi'ka Award of the Santa Fe Indian Market in recognition of her leadership and support to Native American artists and communities.

[7] Between 2014 and 2016, an exhibit honoring Native American women artists, featuring works by Jeri Ah-be-hill, Margarete Bagshaw, and Wapp, was on display at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe.

[34] She also won multiple awards for her contemporary Native fashion designs, taking first prize from the Santa Fe Indian Market every year from 1982 until 1987.