Arminta Neal

Arminta "Skip" Neal was an American artist and museum professional whose work left a lasting mark on the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. A Denver Museum of Nature & Science history article says she earned a fine arts degree from UCLA in 1943, worked for Douglas during World War II, and then served in the Women's Army Corps from 1944 to 1946.

After the war, she pursued museum work and was hired by the Denver Art Museum in late 1947 to illustrate objects from its Native American collection and help create exhibits. In 1950 she joined the Denver Museum of Natural History, where she worked in archaeology and exhibit preparation before becoming curator of graphic design in 1959. Later, as curator of anthropology and then assistant director of exhibits planning, she helped develop major exhibitions and played a key role in creating a Native American advisory council, an unusually early example of museum consultation with Indigenous communities.

Recent museum writing also highlights her personal story alongside her professional one: after retiring in 1981, she later shared her life history through the Old Lesbian Oral History Project at Smith College. Even from the limited sources available, she comes across as a creative, determined figure who combined artistic skill, public history, and a thoughtful approach to cultural representation.