Art of the Columbia Plateau 

Many Native American artists refer to the ancient petroglyphs and hieroglyph art of their ancestors. All of the images in this section, “Rock Art” were dated back about 6,000-8,000 years ago. While we do not know exactly who made the rock paintings, we can conclude quite a bit about them just by the location of the pieces. The petroglyphs featured in this exhibit all originated in the Columbia Plateau, and all of the pieces have been moved from their original spot because of the building of large manmade dams. The archeologists who moved these pieces were kind enough to record their original locations and because of this they have been able to narrow the creator down to a handful of tribes. These images were likely created for a spiritual purpose. Painting and/or carving images into the land was a way for young adolescents of the Columbia Plateau to seek their spirt helpers during their vision quests. While they may not have had the original purpose of being an art piece they are important to the current art movement throughout tribal societies. 

Pat Courtney Gold’s art is more traditional than the other artists in this exhibit. She was born in 1939 in Warm Springs Oregon and is an enrolled member of the Wasco Nation of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Gold didn’t grow up making art; as a child she attended an Indian boarding school where the government attempted to assimilate Native Americans all across the United States. Later she attended Whitman college where upon graduation she would pursue a career in mathematics and computer science. Pat Courtney Gold’s personal interaction with art didn’t occur until 1991 when her sister encouraged her to study the making of Wasco sally bags. This new career took off and Gold established a business with her sister, called the Sally Sisters, with its main purpose being the revitalization of making traditional Wasco-style baskets. 

In the 1970’s the Wasco technique of full-turn twining was almost lost when the only known basket maker using this traditional method, Louise Van Pelt Sconawah Spino, had passed. The art form was revitalized by local tribal elders who felt the need to preserve their heritage. Gold has continued the revitalization of Wasco culture in many different ways: she works with federal agencies to preserve natural materials, she teaches her talent to others and she played an important role in the creation of the Northwest Native American Basket Weavers Association which still exists today. Despite her late interaction with the art of her ancestors she has become an internationally known artist. 

Lillian Pitt was born in 1944 on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon; she is a descendent of both the Wasco and the Yakima people. Like the other female artist in this exhibit she is also known internationally for her work. She was originally recognized for being a highly regarded hair stylist and instructor for about 20 years. This career ended when she had to have multiple back surgeries, so she took this opportunity to go to school. She went to Mount Hood Community College in 1981 to receive her dental hygienist degree but she found a new love when she decided to take an art class. While in college Pitt seized another opportunity when a famous Navajo artist, RC Gorman, came to Portland. She got a chance to speak to this Native American artist personally and by the time their conversation ended he had bought two of her art pieces. This would be the start of a very successful artistic career. Today, Lillian Pitt is featured in art galleries, museums and public places all across the United States; she has even received awards for her contributions to the development of Oregon culture.  

The only explicitly male artist in this exhibit is Joe Feddersen, a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes. He was born in 1953 to German-American father and an Okanagan/Sinixt mother. Unlike the other artists in this exhibit, Feddersen did go to school for art; after being instructed by Robert Graves in Wenatchee Valley College he went to the University of Washington where he would graduate in 1983 with a degree in fine arts. He then went on to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received his master’s in fine arts. He continued his love of art by teaching printmaking at Evergreen State College until 2009. His work is featured in many different museums and art exhibits all across the United States, and has been featured since the 1980’s.

While each artist in “Art of the Columbia Plateau” has a unique style and a unique way of balancing tradition with new technologies, all of the artists have some commonalities between them. The main similarity between the three artists is their usage of art to communicate their culture to other people. Each artist incorporates a piece of their ancestors with a piece of the present to create an item that conveys the message of “we have always been here, and we always will be.” By incorporating these modern aspects into their art, they are able to spread their very important message to a broader audience. While Gold and Pitt didn’t start their careers as artists, they were able to establish themselves as valuable artists to the Native American community just like Joe Feddersen. 

Another similarity between the three artists is that they all started their artistic path within a time span of about 10 years, despite stating their art careers at different stages in their life: Pitt in 1981, Feddersen in 1983 and Gold in 1991. Because of the similarities in time periods, region and a shared goal, all three artists have interacted with each other. As of today, all of the artists featured in this exhibit are als featured in the Portland Art Museums’ “Native American Art” exhibit. They have been placed together in the “Art of the Columbia Plateau Exhibit” because of the similarities one can see between their art and the images of their ancestors in the form of rock art found throughout the Columbia Plateau.

____________________________________________________________

References

Frost, Danielle. "Patience, Persistence and Perseverance." Camas-Washougal Post Record. 8 June 2017. Web. 10, April 2018. http://www.camaspostrecord.com/news/2017/jun/08/patience-persistence-and-perseverance/