"[5] He is known for co-founding and working for the Indian Arts Fund, which was merged into the School of American Research in Santa Fe.

[2] Chapman accepted a three-year contract to receive instruction and work as an illustrator for Vox Populi magazine in St. Louis, Missouri.

[6] In 1899, he suffered from tuberculosis and moved to Las Vegas, New Mexico, near Santa Fe for the dry Southwestern climate[4][7] where he recovered his health.

[4] Edgar Lee Hewett, noted archaeologist and president of the school, invited Chapman to join him on archaeological field trips.

[6] When he founded the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe in 1909, Hewett hired Chapman to work there[4] as an illustrator, manager of the artifact collections, and secretary.

Chapman was concerned that the knowledge and skill to create Native American art and crafts would be lost in time.

[4] Chapman, through the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, was conducting a study with the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque in an effort to determine 'the present cultural needs of Indians.'

Chapman advocated training young Indians in the design principles of their own people by allowing them to study the best work from the past.

[4] He encouraged puebolans to take up creating high-quality pieces like those that he saved from archaeological digs and purchased from talented contemporary artists.

[8][10] He published Nazareth about Biblical history and before his death had been completing work on Pottery of San Ildefonso Pueblo and his memoirs.

Chapman was one of the lecturers of the program and they both went on Frank Springer's expedition to El Rito de los Frijoles (now part of Bandelier National Monument).