Statement:
At the center of this weaving is a woman who fell asleep in a chaotic world, surrounded by the refuse of the past. She imagines that she will awaken in a new world. The refuse will become flowers. Her braided hair has become the atmospheric perspective of the forest ridgelines at dawn. The weaving shows the Sun and trees in harmony. The chaotic tangle around her is a fiber-collage of refuse textiles found around Portland, transformed into a new artwork — materially representing the revitalized world she hopes to wake up to.
Statement:
This work shows a woman made of mountains — Mother Earth. Her hair, a fiber-collage, shows a cascading river of the materials of human culture flowing through her landscape. There are fragments of many cultures and stories flowing together as one river. She looks up to see the Sun, her partner. It is shown as a circular weaving with embroidery and layered cloth.
Statement:
Maíz depicts an indigenous woman who believes that her spirit guide is the Goddess of Maize. She wears symbols on her clothing - water, wind, and sun. These are elements that produce maize, a sacred food for her people. She is using a metate to grind and process the grain for tortillas. She carries her baby with her while she works, wrapped up in a rebozo. It’s important to have an understanding of the food we eat, especially when we have children.
Statement:
Salmon depicts a Pacific Northwest indigenous woman who believes that the salmon is her spirit guide. She believes that salmon are the souls of people. She holds an offering of smoke to the salmon people. In the spring, the first salmon they catch is shared by the entire community. Each person takes a bite. In a healthy community, no person goes hungry.
Statement:
Some Pacific Northwest Native American women identify three primary stages in life: birth, finding a guardian spirit, and death. The tradition of finding one’s spirit is a rite that forms a common bond within the community, while simultaneously defining an individual’s personal identity.
