John Lukavic

John P. Lukavic, Ph.D. serves as the Andrew W. Mellon Curator and department head of Native Arts at the Denver Art Museum (DAM), overseeing the Arts of Africa, Arts of Oceania and Indigenous Arts of North America collections. His research and specialization is focused on the Indigenous arts of North America.

Key projects developed by Lukavic include organizing exhibitions including “Kent Monkman: History is Painted By the Victors” (2025), “Each/Other: Marie Watt and Cannupa Hanska Luger” (2021), “Jeffrey Gibson: Like a Hammer” (2018), “Super Indian: Fritz Scholder, 1967-1980” (2015), and “Revolt 1680/2180: Virgil Ortiz” (2015). In October 2021, he welcomed the public to explore the completely re-imagined and reinstalled Indigenous Arts of North America collection, representing a continuum of creativity with input and commentary from cultural advisors and the Indigenous Community Advisory Council, which he helped convene. He served as lead curator for “Stampede: Animals in Art” (2017), and he co-curated such exhibitions as “Eyes On: Julie Buffalohead” (2018), “Why We Dance: American Indian Art in Motion” (2016) and “Georgia O’Keeffe In New Mexico: Architecture, Katsinam, and the Land” (2013).

Before joining the Museum in 2012, Lukavic received his Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at the University of Oklahoma (2012) where he conducted his doctoral fieldwork with Southern Cheyenne moccasin makers and religious leaders in Oklahoma. Prior to this, Lukavic received a master’s degree in museum science from Texas Tech University (2001) and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, also from the University of Oklahoma (1999).

In 2018 Lukavic was selected for the Getty Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University’s NextGen program for emerging top talent in the museum field. In 2019 he received an Award for Excellence from the Association of Art Museum Curators for his essay in the “Jeffrey Gibson: Like a Hammer” exhibition catalogue. He serves as Vice President for the Native American Art Studies Association as well as a Board member for the Denver Indian Center, Inc. and regularly consults for other museums, institutions, and foundations across the U.S. and Canada.