Pat Courtney Gold is Wasco Native. Her ancestors lived along the Columbia River for more than 12,000 years. They are the upriver branch of the Chinook Nation. She was born and raised on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, Oregon. Besides doing artwork, she lectures about the Columbia River Native cultures to universities and Museums.
Wasco basketry and images were handed down through many generations. They are unique with an earth line and sky line. The earth line is at the bottom, the top line is the skyline. The Weaving technique is full-turn twine to create the geometric figures.
Career Highlights
- 2009: Recipient, the prestigious Dobkin Fellowship, School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe, NM. Project weaving NW and SW fibers into Wall Hangings.
- 2007: National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship
- 2007: Featured Basket weaver in PBS series, “Craft in America”
- 2006: Co-Producer and Director of documentary film, ”Northwest Native Basketweavers, Honoring Our Heritage”
- 2005: “Changing Hands II, Contemporary Native Art”, Museum of Art and Design, NYC
- 2004: “Art Train, Contemporary Native Art”, Art train traveling throughout the US through 2007
- 2003: Featured Artist, Oregon Art Beat, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Portland, OR
- 2001: Governor’s Arts Award, Salem, OR
- Prior to 1999: Invited Artist, Women’s Caucus for Art, Professional trip to China
- Artist in Residence, National Museum of American Indians, New York City
- “To Honor and Comfort: Native American Quilts”, Smithsonian Museum, New York
- Invited Speaker, The International Weaving Conference, Rotorua, New Zealand
Nationally and internationally exhibited artwork:
- Oregon—The Governor’s Office, Salem; Portland Art Museum, Portland; Oregon Historical Society, Portland; Haille-Ford Museum, Salem; Oregon School of Arts and Crafts, Portland; Museum at Warm Springs, Warm Springs, High Desert Museum, Bend; Kahneeta Resort, Warm Springs.
- Washington—Maryhill Museum, Goldendale; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle; Burke Museum, Seattle; Tacoma Art Gallery, Tacoma; Clark County Historical Museum, Vancouver; NW Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane.
- National— Smithsonian National Museum of American Indians, Washington, DC, Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; Lew Allen Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; Folklife Museum, University of Michigan, East Lansing, Michigan; School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe, NM; Riverside Metropolitan Museum, Riverside, CA.
- International—British Museum, London, England; Hei Tiki Gallery, Rotorua, New Zealand; Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, Canada.