Washington’s immigrants and Native
American inhabitants have long practiced
their folk art traditions, which have
sometimes evolved into new forms or
combined into hybrid expressions. This lively
exhibit reflects all of these.
Organized by the
Washington State Historical Society with support from
the Thurston County Historic Commission.
Washington Then and Now
Paired photographs show the changes in particular Washington places over a century and more. They raise the question, "how do we fit in a landscape that is constantly shifting beneath and around us?" Photographs and text by Paul Dorpat and Jean Sherrard.
Organized by the Washington State Historical Society.
Klee Wyk: A Glimpse of the Past
Isaac Stevens at the Council with the Blackfeet, by Gustav Sohon. (Washington State Historical Society)
ONGOING
A small exhibit on a Nisqually artist cooperative of the 1950s and 1960s, Klee Wyk includes two-dimensional easel work, letter press prints, textiles, and a ceramic Salish Mother and Child that was part of Delbert McBride’s personal collection. Del, his brother Bud McBride, Richard Schneider, and Oliver Tiedeman shared a studio on the Nisqually Flats where they executed commercial projects as well as personal work exploring Northwest Coast design.
Organized by the Washington State Historical Society.
Northwest Treaty Trail, 1854–1856
Isaac Stevens at the Council with the Blackfeet, by Gustav Sohon. (Washington State Historical Society)
ONGOING
Washington Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens held 11 treaty councils with Northwest Indians. Native people ceded portions of their traditional homelands, from Puget Sound to the Canadian border and from northeastern Oregon to the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana. Those treaties still shape Washington society today.
Respecting the Knowledge: Ethnobotany of Western Washington
Detail of a traditional bentwood box, by Peter Simpson, Jr. (Washington State Historical Society)
ONGOING
Ethnobotany is understanding the relationship between plants and peoples. Native
communities, past and present, have used plants for food, medicine, and tools. The exhibit
includes beautiful photographs of native plants and descriptions of their traditional usage,
handmade tools and implements, baskets and a bentwood box.