Woody Crumbo

Crumbo was also an independent prospector in New Mexico in the late 1950s, who found one of the largest beryllium veins in the nation, valued at millions of dollars.

[8] At the age of 19, Crumbo earned a scholarship to the American Indian Institute in Wichita, Kansas, where he graduated as valedictorian.

[8] Subsequently, Crumbo joined the Bacone College in Muskogee as Director of Art from 1938 to 1941, succeeding Acee Blue Eagle (Muscogee).

[2] In 1939, the United States Treasury Department commissioned him to paint murals on the walls of its building in Washington, D.C.[1][10] A few years later he curated a collection of Native American art at the Thomas Gilcrease Institute in Tulsa.

[2] He exhibited at numerous shows and became more widely known both nationally and internationally because he adapted some of his work to techniques of engraving and printing, making multiple originals.

"[5] Crumbo became "a major stockholder in Taos Uranium and Exploration Corp. that was formed by a group of Texas investors to develop the claims" for beryllium and copper.

[8] He aided the Isleta Pueblo Indians of New Mexico to gain federal recognition and donated money to help the Citizen Potawatomi build a cultural heritage center in Shawnee.

[5] Crumbo's work was part of Stretching the Canvas: Eight Decades of Native Painting (2019–2021), a survey at the National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center.