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In The Spirit 2016 Photo Gallery
TB Horn 206
ARTIST: Tony Boyd, 2015. "Shortly after my mother passed away, I underwent an evaluation of self. These pieces and others are the product of this ongoing journey. The contemporary and traditional mix that has defined my look are always present. I realize, in hindsight, that these are clearly a byproduct of this strong sense of self-exploration."
High Tea, Best in Show Award
ARTIST: Kathey Ervin, 2016. "A member of the Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma, I was raised on the Olympic Peninsula. 1978 began a great adventure. I enrolled at the Kansas City Art Institute where I worked with three master clay artists and received my BFA in 1981. I graduated with an MFA from the University of Illinois at Champaign in 1983. Moving back to the Northwest, I worked with clay for the next ten years. There - another great adventure - and a time of transformation within my work and myself. In 1997, I took my first basket making class in cedar bark. Similar to clay containers, there is magic in weaving with bark, using material from the earth in both instances. I have a passion today for..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
Blue Heron
PHOTOGRAPHER: Philip Red Eagle, 2013. "I started shooting during my in-country tour of Vietnam with the US Navy (1970–1972). My first “real” camera was a Canon QL, a small 35mm rangefinder with a fixed lens that I purchased at the Cholon Exchange in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). My next camera was the Canon 35mm F-1 SLR. I evolved more with the F-1. At the University of Washington (1976–1983), I took both photojournalism and photo-art classes and practiced extensively through the 1980s, becoming a professional photojournalist and your basic cameraman. I began shooting digital in 2003 after having left photography for 12 years. I love black and white imagery, but my color work is coming along. I think..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
"Mistamekwak" - Whales
ARTIST: Chholing P. Taha, 2016. "Many years ago, while living in Seattle, I studied Northwest Coast art under Marvin Oliver. This killer whale family is of my own design, based on the Northwest Coast style of art. The wall medallion is approximately 42 x 37 inches and is sewn using heavy 100 percent wool melton. The buttons are all 100 percent natural shell, and some are antiques. Shells are one-eighth inch or one and a quarter inches in size. Dark red salmon protecting their eggs migrate along the black borders. The borders represent the longhouse roof and sides, thus the bottom is left open. There are approximately 600 natural shell buttons on this piece. Killer whales used with permission. A sleeve for..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
Graduation Cap
ARTIST: Ruth Whitener, 2014. "I made this cap for my daughter. I harvested the red cedar, then dyed it red and black—the colors of Northwest Indian College. The cedar represents the strength she will need to stand for what she believes, and the beaver fur surrounding the rim of the cap represents how she may have to swim against the currents to accomplish her goals. The beaded eagle feather represents courage to rise above the winds."
Let There Be Light
ARTIST: Ruth Whitener, 2011. "The four-dragonfly design was my very first design, painted on a handmade drum. I couldn’t wait to see it made out of the buttons!"
Sacred Survivance, Honoring the Northwest Award
ARTIST: Ka'ila Farrell-Smith, 2015. "This piece began through exploring abstract mark-making techniques used in printmaking processes, such as: dragging color with squeegees, applying and removing palette knife paint, and using tape to stencil hard-edge designs to create a dichotomy of organic and graphic qualities. The piece developed into an abstract landscape inspired by the Cascade Mountain Range that surrounded me while working at the Caldera Artist Residency for a month in January 2015. At that time I was empowered by the many indigenous groups that were dancing, singing, walking, and witnessing for the protection of their sacred mountains—from the Hawaiians resisting development..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
A'Waken Silence
ARTIST: Ka'ila Farrell-Smith, 2015. "This piece developed as an abstract figurative portrait, using expressionistic marks and saturated color to invoke a contemporary spirit of indigenous resistance to patriarchy and settler-colonialism. Harsha Walia writes in Reimagining Feminism on International Women’s Day: 'Given that Indigenous women suffer the highest rates of sexual violence, combatting gender violence requires a commitment to dismantling settler-colonialism. Gendered violence is embedded within settler-colonialism: in racist and heteropatriarchal laws such as the Indian Act, in policies of child apprehension, in the practices of locking up Indigenous women and youth at alarming rates...'" (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
Ilakaqa
ARTIST: Justin McCarthy, 2014. "My work is grounded in the traditional process. The traditional Yup’ik way of learning is by observing, and when something becomes clear, you try it. Carving was traditionally done in the Qasgiq—the Men’s House— which served as the gathering and working space in Yup’ik society. Today, there are no more Qasgiq, so the Yup’ik of today do not learn in the same manner. For me this was further complicated by growing up in Washington, away from Yup’ik society. However, I have been fortunate enough to utilize this traditional method of learning through extensive museum research. I have studied many older pieces to see what the artists who made them saw and to learn by observation..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
neq'ertua
ARTIST: Justin McCarthy, 2015. "My work is grounded in the traditional process. The traditional Yup’ik way of learning is by observing, and when something becomes clear, you try it. Carving was traditionally done in the Qasgiq—the Men’s House— which served as the gathering and working space in Yup’ik society. Today, there are no more Qasgiq, so the Yup’ik of today do not learn in the same manner. For me this was further complicated by growing up in Washington, away from Yup’ik society. However, I have been fortunate enough to utilize this traditional method of learning through extensive museum research. I have studied many older pieces to see what the artists who made them saw and to learn by observation..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
In The Present (Bowl Design), Honoring the Ancestors Award
ARTIST: Earl Davis, 2016. "The traditional sheep-horn bowls of the Columbia River/Willipa Bay region were highly decorated with geometric, zoomorphic, and humanoid figures. I have studied the designs for several years and am in awe of their elegance, sophistication, and detail. This piece was inspired by a horn bowl that featured several faces connected with circular triangle patterns. It seems to flow continually in all directions without stopping or beginning anywhere."
Tuunraq Moon Spirit
ARTIST: Jennifer Angaiak Wood, 2016. "This mask is inspired by a traditional shaman tuunraq (helper spirit) mask. It is a type of nepectat (“sticks to the face”) mask, which were said to float off the ground and stick to the shaman’s face without any straps. The original mask was surrounded by a board, and I chose to represent that shape with the placement of the cracked quartz beads, which look like little moons to me."
Overwhelmed, Honoring Innovation Award
ARTIST: Jennifer Angaiak Wood, 2016. "This mask is inspired by the word “chaos.” Everyone feels overwhelmed by life at times, whether from family and work obligations, stressful situations, or the constant barrage of the media. When my life starts feeling chaotic, I usually have a calm exterior but internally I sometimes feel like I am falling apart. The ceramic insulators on this piece were given to me from a house remodel, and I found them to be a good representation of the scattering of my thoughts during difficult times."
Moon Shadow
ARTIST: Kenny Waltman, 2016. "Shadows live in every object on Earth; they only leave to follow their owner when they want to be seen. Moon’s shadow is a little different—it is constantly changing day by day, shrinking and growing, but never leaving Moon’s side. Moon Shadow was inspired by the classic Tsimshian carved masks of the Northwest Coast. These masks are carved in a certain way to hold realistic features of a human face. The painted moon on the mask represents its shadow and is intended to depict the relationship they have with each other."
Woman Transforming into Bear
ARTIST: Terresa White, 2015. "I am inspired by the stories of transformation shared with me by my Granny Clara. My work transforms me, brings me closer to her ways of knowing and to the Alaskan village life she left as a young woman."
Unframed (the ladies)
ARTIST: Leah Thomason Bromberg, 2015. "Paintings were always around me. As I continue in my own practice, I return home to see the paintings my mother chose for her own house. These mythic figures—Navajo women, ancestors—were always on the move. They moved with intention, with each other, and despite the dangers along the way. Where are we going? We can only imagine what is beyond where we can see, and those imaginings are the only constant on the journey."
Owl Spirit getting warm
ARTIST: Lillian Pitt, 2014. "The Owl Spirit Getting Warm is part of my Shadow Spirit series, where I use the petroglyphs of the Columbia River as inspiration but give them a presence of different animals. I love using shells and pine cones to impress into the clay before it is cast into glass."
She Who Watches
ARTIST: Lillian Pitt, 2011. "The cast glass of She Who Watches is based on a rock drawing that is 12,000 years old. She overlooked the village where my great-great-grandmother lived. There is a legend that goes with it where Coyote came down the Columbia River and asked the villagers if they lived well, and then went to talk to the leader. He eventually changed her into a rock to watch over us all forever. This tie lets people know that we are still here, creating and thriving."
Skokomish Canoe Landing at Quinault Beach in 2013
PHOTOGRAPHER: Denny Sparr Hurtado, 2013. "Photographs have intrigued me since I was a little boy. In 1970, I began my journey to photograph places and events in Indian Country. I then took an interest in E. S. Curtis’s work on documenting the American Indians beginning in the late 1890s. As I looked at his work I felt that I could also document American Indians, but from a Native perspective. I feel that the importance of documenting American Indians in the 20th and 21st centuries is of the utmost importance. As we continue to protect our sovereignty, culture, language, and traditions, the cultural revitalization of our Nations is tremendous. Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples throughout the world are reclaiming what rightfully..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
Revival of the Canoe Journey
PHOTOGRAPHER: Denny Sparr Hurtado, 2013. "The traditional sheep-horn bowls of the Columbia River/Willipa Bay region were highly decorated with geometric, zoomorphic, and humanoid figures. I have studied the designs for several years and am in awe of their elegance, sophistication, and detail. This piece was inspired by a horn bowl that featured several faces connected with circular triangle patterns. It seems to flow continually in all directions without stopping or beginning anywhere."
circle
Artist: Tony Boyd, 2015. "Shortly after my mother passed away, I underwent an evaluation of self. These pieces and others are the product of this ongoing journey. The contemporary and traditional mix that has defined my look are always present. I realize, in hindsight, that these are clearly a byproduct of this strong sense of self-exploration."
Two Frogs
ARTIST: Crystal Worl, 2016. "Through the practice of creation, I exist between both traditional and modern worlds. My creative process is constantly transforming, and thus a new experience unfolds during each production. I am Tlingit and Athabascan from Juneau and Fairbanks, Alaska. The stories I share in my art are about Raven. The forms I focus on are based on traditional Tlingit design that are often intertwined with Athabascan beadwork. I practice the recreation and modernization of Tlingit and Athabascan designs. My creative process is a means of bridging my experiences between two worlds—the traditional world and the modern world. I create art to share ancestral knowledge of creation and life..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
Héen
ARTIST: Crystal Worl, 2015. "Through the practice of creation, I exist between both traditional and modern worlds. My creative process is constantly transforming, and thus a new experience unfolds during each production. I am Tlingit and Athabascan from Juneau and Fairbanks, Alaska. The stories I share in my art are about Raven. The forms I focus on are based on traditional Tlingit design that are often intertwined with Athabascan beadwork. I practice the recreation and modernization of Tlingit and Athabascan designs. My creative process is a means of bridging my experiences between two worlds—the traditional world and the modern world. I create art to share ancestral knowledge of creation and life..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
Red Squadron
ARTIST: Jeffrey Veregge, 2016. "The magic of cinema, the power of a single image on the big screen inspired a little Native boy to pick up a pencil and crayon and recreate, to the best of his ability, the heroic tale that changed him profoundly and would shape his life for years to come. This piece, Red Squadron, is my tribute to George Lucas’s original vision for Star Wars. It is a testimony to the impact this film has had on my life, both as a child and an adult. I am a comic book artist because of this movie and others like it. Red Squadron is my continued effort to move forward with Coast Salish-influenced graphics and tell the stories I love with the voice that has been given to me as a Native American artist."
Harmony of DisChord
ARTIST: Linley B. Logan, 2013. "Harmony of DisChord is a composition that reflects concepts of portraiture. The primary idea is that the elements of the face, in portrait, are defined by the facial features of eyes, nose, and mouth areas. In the composition, these facial elements are replicated by objects. The intent of this implied portraiture is to recognize the Indigenous relationship to the environment as a living entity, which we believe has a spirit and life. Harmony of DisChord is a culture clash representing the inherent negative ramifications of contemporary colonial music values on traditional culture—a Dischord to the harmony of Indigenous culture. It was believed by Seneca religious traditionalists that the..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
Maui
ARTIST: Bernice Akamine, 2015. "Maui tells the story of how Maui, the demigod, slowed down the sun. This allowed Hina, Maui’s mother, to dry her kapa (barkcloth) in the sun. Each panel refers back to the legend through the use of different printing techniques used traditionally throughout history. Also, by using kapa, the piece refers back to Hina, the kapa maker in the legend."
Kalij
ARTIST: Bernice Akamine, 2016. "Kalij is a play on traditional feather work and netting techniques. The feathers are from a kalij pheasant that was found dead on the side of the road. By using “roadkill” as a part of the baskets, I am able to honor the deceased bird."
Culutus Chuck (Bad or Poison Water)
Artist: Charles W Bloomfield, 2016. "It’s funny that we choose to protect ourselves from any number of environmental health risks while completely neglecting the critically vital role water plays in our daily lives. From consuming and washing to watering and bathing, water is our lifeblood. Our entire existence relies on the use of clean water. The water crisis seen in Flint is nothing new in Indian Country. More than 300 Tribal communities struggle with contaminated water. Closer to home is the horrendous Hanford Nuclear Site. Between 1944 and 1972, over 1.7 trillion gallons of radioactive materials and hazardous chemicals were routinely flushed directly into the Columbia River, affecting all those downriver, including..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
Eagle's Journey to the Spirit World
ARTIST: Ramon Murillo, 2016. "In this series, I juxtaposed ancient Plateau symbols with modern American symbols using etching paper and ink to simulate petroglyphs on rock. My Shoshone name is 'Dasziump,' meaning 'Brings Light to Darkness.' I am influenced by pictographs and sacred spaces. Sacred spaces reveal themselves. Some say they breathe—breathe the old stories which their walls have somehow witnessed and whisper to those who will listen. Usually sacred spaces are found in inviting places that retain the aura of those who passed that way. They can be a wonderful antidote to all that is superficial in modern society. My petroglyph symbols speak of my journey on earth as it is today, including..." (Visit the exhibit to read more!)
