Hib Sabin (born 1935) is an American sculptor and educator. He is known for his indigenous-style work in juniper wood. He carves spirit animal spirit bowls, spirit canoes, dream and dance sticks, and shamanistic masks. He lives in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

Early life and education

Hilbert Speich Sabin was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and raised in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. His family was to an Episcopalian. Sabin received a BFA in Studio Art and Art History from

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryl ...

(coordinated program) and an MFA in Art History from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

Career

In education

Sabin has taught art history at Shadyside Academy in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and at

Franklin and Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frankli ...

in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was an associate professor of studio art and art history at

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...

in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

In art

Sabin has been creating art since 1957. His art is inspired by an interest in

shamanism Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a Spirit world (Spiritualism), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as tranc ...

. While in Mexico on a

sabbatical A sabbatical (from the Hebrew: (i.e., Sabbath); in Latin ; Greek: ) is a rest or break from work. The concept of the sabbatical is based on the Biblical practice of ''shmita'' (sabbatical year), which is related to agriculture. According to ...

from teaching, Sabin studied shamanism from local

curandero A ''curandero'' (, healer; f. , also spelled , , f. ) is a traditional native healer or shaman found primarily in Latin America and also in the United States. A curandero is a specialist in traditional medicine whose practice can either contra ...

s. He also studied the spiritual traditions and mythologies of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and spent time with the

Hadza people The Hadza, or Hadzabe (''Wahadzabe'' in Swahili), are a Tanzanian indigenous ethnic group mostly based in southwest Karatu District of Arusha Region. They live around Lake Eyasi in the central Rift Valley and in the neighboring Serengeti Platea ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

and

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

, learning about their spiritual traditions. He has also stated specific poets, such as

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...

and

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

, as inspirational to his work. He has had at least twelve one-man exhibitions. In July 2003, he was the subject of an extensive article in '' Southwest Art'' magazine. His work has been displayed by the

Port of Seattle The Port of Seattle is a government agency overseeing the seaport and airport of Seattle, Washington, United States. With a portfolio of properties ranging from parks and waterfront real estate, to one of the largest airports and container t ...

Seattle–Tacoma International Airport Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , branded as SEA Airport and also referred to as Sea–Tac (), is the primary commercial airport serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is in the city of SeaTac, which ...

Selected exhibitions

Hib Sabin has had twelve one-man exhibitions since becoming an artist. He has been represented by the following galleries: *1957 – 1962: The Munson Gallery, Princeton, NJ *1965 – 1968: The Ben DuBose Gallery, Houston, TX *1968 – 1970: The Kiko Gallery, Houston, TX *1970 – 1974: The Meredith Long Gallery, Houston, TX *1974 – 1980: Hooks-Epstein Gallery, Houston, TX *1993 – 1995: Keshi, The Zuni Connection, Santa Fe, NM *1994 – 1997: The Adelante Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ *1995 – 1999: Maslak-McLeod Gallery, Santa Fe, NM *1998 – 1999: Wm. Zimmer Gallery, Mendocino, CA *1998 – 2000: Enchanted Earthworks, Tucson, AZ *1999 – 2000: Weyrich Gallery, Albuquerque, NM *1999 – 2000: Guadalupe Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM *1997 – 2000: Clay & Fiber Gallery, Taos, NM *1996 – date: J. Seitz & Co., New Preston, CT *1998 – date: Bishop Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ/Allenspark, CO *1999 – date: Long Ago Far Away – Manchester Center, VT *2000 – date: Deloney-Newkirk, Santa Fe, NM *2000 – date: Turquoise Tortoise Gallery, Sedona, AZ *2001 – date: Alaska on Madison, New York City, NY *2001 – date: Stonington Gallery, Seattle, WA *2011 – date: L Ross Gallery, Memphis, TN

Works

;Books *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabin, Hib 1935 births Living people Artists from Santa Fe, New Mexico University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Pittsburgh alumni Sculptors from New Mexico