With Indigenous Carvers From the Lower Columbia River and Willamette Valley
Carving Demonstration
Saturday, October 8, 2022 from 1-4 p.m.
Free and open to the public
Maribeth Collins Lobby, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, 700 State St., Salem, OR 97301
Carvers include Brian Krehbiel (Grand Ronde), Bobby Mercier (Grand Ronde), Nakoa Mercier (Grand Ronde), Travis Stewart (Grand Ronde), Greg Robinson (Chinook), and Shirod Younker (Coquille).
Dedication of the Welcome Figure by Bobby Mercier (Grand Ronde)
Saturday, October 8, 2022 from 4-5 p.m.
Free and open to the public
Maribeth Collins Lobby, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, 700 State St., Salem, OR 97301
In honor of George and Colleen Hoyt’s gift of their world-class collection of contemporary Northwest Coast Native art to Willamette University, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art has commissioned Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde carver Bobby Mercier to create a welcome figure at the entrance to the Maribeth Collins Lobby. Mercier is a well-known traditional carver who is dedicated to preserving the history of his ancestors through his carvings. Historically, welcome figures were used by some tribes in our region as markers to welcome people to their territories. The eight foot tall figure created by Mercier will be sited on the curved wall as you enter the lobby and will welcome visitors to our building which, like the rest of Willamette University and the City of Salem, is built on Kalapuyan lands. The welcome figure will be unveiled on Saturday, October 8, 2022 and will be timed to coincide with Family Weekend.
Learn more about the Hallie Ford Museum of Art and Willamette University's Land Acknowledgement.
This event is offered in conjunction with the TRANSFORMATIONS: The George and Colleen Hoyt Collection of Northwest Coast Art exhibition taking place at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art between September17 and December 17, 2022.
Image: David Boxley (Tsimshian, b. 1952), Legend Adaox, 1988.
Sponsors
This program and exhibition has been supported in part with funds from the George and Colleen Hoyt Northwest Coast Indigenous Art Fund; with endowment funds from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, through their Spirit Mountain Community Fund; by advertising support from The Oregonian/Oregon Live; and by general operating support grants from the City of Salem's Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.
Land Acknowledgement
We gather on the land of the Kalapuya, who today are represented by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, whose relationship with this land continues to this day. We offer gratitude for the land itself, for those who have stewarded it for generations, and for the opportunity to study, learn, work, and be in community on this land. We acknowledge that our University’s history, like many others, is fundamentally tied to the first colonial developments in the Willamette Valley. Finally, we respectfully acknowledge and honor past, present, and future Indigenous students of Willamette. | More information |