MAY 15, 2001
Smoke Signals 7
Revival of Grand Ronde Basketry on Display
By Kim Mueller
The Hallie Ford Museum at Willamette University in Salem is the
home to many Grand Ronde baskets new and old, contemporary
and traditional. In 1999, the Spirit Mountain Community Fund
donated $250,000 to help establish the Native American basketry
exhibit, which is now called The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Gallery. The Willamette collection totals 365 old baskets, about 70
of those baskets are on display.
In the same room, in the same glass cases, are an array of the new
Grand Ronde baskets titled the "Contemporary Northwest Weav
ers" exhibit.
Every Wednesday night for 10 months Margaret Mathewson trav
eled from Alsea to Grand Ronde to teach basket making to revive
the art of Grand Ronde basketry. The result is breathtaking.
That basket class is very proud and would like to invite you to visit
the Hallie Ford Museum for this spectacular exhibit (pictured at
right). Open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission
is $3 and Tuesday is free. Located at 700 State Street in Salem.
en
... k . .
rx n A
v. 2
1 f
A- J ?
' ' I i '1
f'v
m vi
E ' ,a !, f W
0 iil f
ABOVE: The Contemporary Northwest Weavers exhibit on display
through September 15 at the Hallie Ford Museum in Salem.
RIGHT:
Lindy Trolan,
Connie Graves
and Rebecca
Dobson take a
look at yet
another
creative item
that Connie
has made.
I mjm
LEFT: Family and friends gather at the special muesum recep
tion. Basket makers pictured here include Tony Johnson, Lindy
Trolan, Marion Mercier, Kathleen Feehan, Kim Mueller, Iola Galindo,
Joann Empey, Marie Schmidt, Connie Graves and Lori Brown.
Basket Classes in Alsea
Summer basketry classes with Margaret Mathewson are held at her
place in Lobster Valley, located one hour from Corvallis and one hour
from Walport in the lush mountains. Facilities include a 700 square foot
round classroom, guest house and kitchen, campfire circle and outdoor
house, country gardens, serene woodlands, a creek for swimming and
bedrock benches. Overnight stays are offered in slumber party campout
style.
Native Americans may inquire for scholarships. Classes are offered at
half price for Tribal members. Work trade opportunities are available.
WEEKEND SEMINARS
SkokomishChehalis Cattail Basketry
June 2-3 Fee: $90
D Traditional Basketry Tool Kit
June 16-17 Fee: $90, includes all materials, tool kits and obsidian to
take home.
Cordage and Netting
June 30-July 1 Fee: $90
Natural Dyes and Mineral Pigments
July 7-8 Fee: $70, includes all materials, a spindle and a rawhide or
bark.
Diagonal Twined Split Willow Winnowing Tray
August 4-5 Fee: $115. Class size is limited to 10.
4 DAY LONG WEEKENDS (FRIDAY-MONDAY)
O Spruce Root Medallion with star pattern
May 18-21 Fee: $150, includes all materials prepared (prerequisite:
twining). Class size is limited to 8.
D Central California Beaded Coiled Medallion
August 10-13 Fee: $150, includes all materials prepared. No experi
ence required. Class size is limited to 10.
The Native Buckskin Process
August 24-27 Fee: $95, includes taking home finished buckskin and
fur.
For more details on classes, please contact Margaret by phone
at 541-486-4311; by e-mail at Margaretpeak.org: or write Ancient
Arts Center, 16140 Lobster Valley Road, Alsea, OR 97324.
Beadwork Class at Cannon Beach
D Creating Excitement; Elements of Beginning Beadwork
July 21 & 22 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Noncredit: $185 Instructor: Roger Amerman
Tribal peoples of North America integrate beadwork within their cul
tural framework, producing a medium capable of embellishing pieces from
the commonplace to the marvelous. Study examples from a variety of
Tribal artists and focus on "lane" and "contour" style beadwork using an
overlay stitch.
Roger Ellis Amerman is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of
Oklahoma. He was awarded the Indian Art Northwest "Best of Show"
Artist in May 2000 and continues to explore the connection between land
scape, humans, other forms, beliefs and beadwork.
Basket Class at Cannon Beach
D Plateau Basketry Twining Techniques
July 28 & 29 Instructor: Pat Courtney Gold
Pat addresses the inextricable connection between art and life in the
Native American culture. The Columbia River was a "freeway" for local
tribes and traveling up and down it to age-old trading sites was crucial to
survival and cultural strength. In addition to teaching specific twining
techniques, various basketry starts, geometric motifs and braid rims, Pat
shares slides on Plateau Culture and artwork and discusses the 10,000
year history of the regional tribes in an effort to share the unique tradi
tional designs and practices which have nearly vanished from the Pla
teau repertoire.
Pat Courtney Gold, Wasco Tribal member, shares her heritage through
lectures and exhibits, among them at the Maryhill, High Desert and Se
attle Art Museums, locally, as well as at the Peabody Museum at Harvard,
the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City and the
Smithsonian. She has shown her work nationally and internationally
and endeavors to preserve her culture through reviving and practicing
and sharing her knowledge of Plateau art and history. She was a recent
recipient of the prestigious Governor's Award for 2001.
For more information on these or other workshops at Cannon
Beach, contact the Portland State University Haystack Program
at 503-725-3276 or visit our website at www.haystack.pdx.edu.