Three Plateau Women Artists (Photo Diary)

As Grandmother Taught: Women, Tradition and Plateau Art was a special exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington. The exhibit featured the works of three Plateau women artists: HollyAnna Cougar Tracks DeCoteau Little Bull, Bernadine Phillips, and Leanne Campbell.

The Columbia River Plateau is shown above.

HollyAnna Cougar Tracks DeCoteau Little Bull

HollyAnna Cougar Tracks DeCoteau Little Bull is a stone carver, beader, basket maker, seamstress, and saddle maker. Her tribal heritage is Yakama, Nez Perce, and Cayuse.

She is shown here holding a photograph of her great grandmother taken by Edward Curtis.

According to the display:

“HollyAnna is influenced by traditional design and her work is laced with symbolism.”

Bernadine Phillips

One of the artists featured in this special exhibit was basket maker Bernadine Phillips (Okanagan/Wenatchi from the Colville Reservation).

According to the display:

“Bernadine uses a coiled cedar root basketry technique; designs are woven with bear grass, which is either dyed or bleached.”

Shown above is a woven woman’s hat. The basket shown above was made by master basket maker Elaine Timetwa Emerson, Bernadine’s teacher and mentor. Shown above is the foundation for a basket.

Leanne Campbell

Leanne Campbell’s heritage is Coeur d’Alene, Nez Perce, Arrow Lakes, and Wenatchee. She is an artist who works in many mediums—beading, basketry, garment-making, drawing, painting, and printmaking. She studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She teaches traditional arts in the Coeur d’Alene Historic Preservation Program, where she is also the Program Manager and Curator. Shown below are some of her pieces which were displayed.

Shown above is a beaded wool dress and a twined cylinder gathering bag. Shown above are three twined cylinder gathering bags.