Celebrate Native American Heritage Month at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art

For immediate release: Oct. 23, 2013
Media contact: Andrea Foust
Membership and Public Relations Manager
Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University | 503-370-6867
Public contact: 503-370-6855 | museum-art@willamette.edu

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art

SALEM, Ore. — In conjunction with Native American Heritage Month in November, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art is pleased to highlight newly commissioned artworks and collaborative opportunities as well as its continuing commitment to showcase, preserve, and honor the works, traditions, and culture of the Native American community through the museum's permanent collection and gallery installations. Activities during the month will include the opening of the “Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial,” the dedication of a newly commissioned work by Joe Feddersen as well as a demonstration by the artist, the opportunity to donate a blanket to Marie Watt’s sculpture project and a new online archive of the museum’s Native American basket collection.

Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial
Opening Nov. 9 and continuing through Feb. 2, 2014 in the Study Gallery and the Print Study Center, this exhibition highlights 27 contemporary prints created by 14 artists during the past two years at the Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts on the Umatilla Reservation in northeastern Oregon. The exhibition includes work by established Native American artists Rick Bartow and James Lavadour, as well as emerging and mid career native and non-native artists from the Portland area, including Pat Boas, Eva Lake, Jenene Nagy, Blair Saxon-Hill and Storm Tharp.

"The Crow's Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial" is supported by an endowment gift from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde through their Spirit Mountain Community Fund, with additional support from the City of Salem's Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.

Grant brings new Native Americans artworks to the museum
A $30,000 National Endowment for the Arts “Art Works” grant, is bringing the works of Pacific NW Native American artists Joe Feddersen, Marie Watt, and Robert Kentta into the Hallie Ford Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Each artist has been commissioned to create a work, complete a short residency and appear in an online video where they describe the creation and significance of their work. Additional funding has been provided by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde through their Spirit Mountain Community Fund, with additional support from the City of Salem's Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.

Joe Feddersen is a member of The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington and is an internationally recognized artist. Feddersen’s work ranges from paintings, to glass sculptures, basketry, photographs, prints as well as computer-generated images.

On Nov. 15 the public is invited to the dedication of Feddersen’s “Fish Trap” at 5 p.m. at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. “Fish Trap” is a three dimensional mixed media fused glass and copper work, that although contemporary in nature, closely mirrors and reflects traditional fish traps.

On Nov. 16 Feddersen will hold a basketry workshop between 10 a.m. and noon and from 1-2 p.m. at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. The public is invited to observe and learn more about traditional basketry. Admission to the museum is free and complimentary that day.

Marie Watt is a nationally recognized Portland mixed media artist whose work explores human stories and ritual implicit in everyday objects. She grew up in Wyoming on a ranch and has ties to the the Turtle Clan of the Seneca Nation (Haudenosaunee). Her work was recently featured in the “Marie Watt: Lodge” exhibition during the spring of 2012 at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art.

Throughout the month of November and into the spring of 2014, the public is invited to join Watt’s creative process by donating a blanket and it’s corresponding story. Watt’s goal is to collect approximately 100 blankets that will be incorporated into one of her signature blanket sculptures that will be completed by the summer of 2014. Blankets can be dropped off at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art and all donors will receive an original signed and numbered silkscreen print by the artist.

Robert Kentta is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz and is their Cultural Resources Director as well as the Tribal Council Treasurer. Kentta’s ancestors, who hailed from the Rogue River, Applegate and Shasta regions,were brought to the Siletz Reservation in 1856 at the end of the Rogue River War. Kentta’s project will focus on creating traditional Native American dance regalia and will be completed by the summer of 2014.

New efforts preserve the museum's Native American basket collection
The Hallie Ford Museum of Art recently completed a major collections management initiative focused on the museum’s collection of over 350 Native American baskets. The project addressed issues of storage, conservation, cataloging, and access to the collections. With funding provided by Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Cultural Trust, and Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund, the museum built proper storage mounts, photographed all baskets in the collection; conducted a full conservation survey of the collection and treated 18 baskets (cleaning, reshaping, stabilizing, and repairing); gathered additional catalog information on over 100 baskets including cultural, technical, and material analysis; and uploaded all images and catalog information to a searchable online database.

The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Gallery
This permanent gallery features works from the museum’s permanent collection of American Indian art throughout the year, and focuses on native art history as a dynamic, rich legacy from which contemporary arts grow today. Artworks are placed in conversation, juxtaposed so that the work of many generations is in visual dialogue across time; telling stories of creation, transformation, and renewal. Historic baskets, bags, regalia, and lithics are displayed side by side with contemporary artworks by artists such as Rick Bartow, James Lavadour, Bud Lane, Lillian Pitt, Pat Courtney Gold, and Joe Feddersen among many others. A complimentary gallery guide is available at the museum.

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About the Hallie Ford Museum of Art

Oregon's third largest art museum features works by Pacific Northwest and Native American artists, and includes a diverse collection of traditional European, American and Asian art, as well as artifacts that date from antiquity. Frequently changing exhibitions include lectures, special events, tours, artist demonstrations and educational opportunities for children and adults.

The museum is located at 700 State St. in Salem. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The galleries are closed on Monday. General admission is $6, $4 for seniors and $3 for students 18 and older. Students 17 and under and children are admitted free. Admission is free for everyone on Tuesdays. For more information call 503-370-6855 or visit willamette.edu/arts/hfma.

Related Press Kits

Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial
Grant brings new Native Americans artworks to the museum
New efforts preserve the museum's Native American Basket Collection