Woven Together: Mini Exhibition with Spotlight on Susan Pavel

March

Exhibition runs March 5-29. Opening Reception on March 5, 6-8pm. Exhibit installation period will be March 1-4.

In March we highlight the art of weaving up and down the Pacific Northwest Coast, whether in the form of baskets, hats, robes or rattles. This mini-show exhibits varied weaving practices of many of our longtime artists, with a particular focus on the Salish blankets of Susan Pavel / sa’hLamitSa.

Pavel, a master weaver in her own right and the inheritor of the knowledge of subiyay Bruce Miller, debuts four new blankets / robes that are dyed with natural dyes made from locally sourced plants. Coast Salish weaving is a specific genre and technique unto itself. The art was retained by a few master weavers, including the late subiyay Bruce Miller, a Skokomish spiritual leader, who chose Pavel as an apprentice in the mid-1990s. Pavel, who is not Native, was chosen to carry on the technique by Miller. Traditionally, Salish blankets/clothing are woven using a variety of animal and plant fibers including mountain goat wool, canine hair, hemp, fireweed, milkweed, cattail, cotton grass, and yellow and red cedar bark. Various plants were used to create the colors used in dying the wool. Bark from Oregon grape, stinging nettles, various lichens, and alder bark were some of these plants.

Pavel is the executive director of the Coast Salish Wool Weaving Center, a new nonprofit center committed to the preservation and promotion of Coast Salish Wool Weaving where students and volunteers can participate in the entire process of our indigenous weave style here in the Pacific Northwest. She received a 2018 GAP Award funding to travel throughout Salish territory to sustainably and spiritually harvest plants to receive natural dyes and their teachings. The new works in this show come from the knowledge and effort expended during this grant cycle.

Exhibition Dates: