Public Art Comes to Your Front Yard

Yard signs placed around Seattle depicting two raised hands, a sign of respect among Coastal Native communities, on either side of a rainbow with "Take care of yourself" written in Lushootseed over top of the rainbow and below in English. Lushootseed provided by the Puyallup Tribal Language Program and design and lettering by Satpreet Kahlon with help from Kimberly Deriana (Mandan/Hidatsa) and Asia Tail (Cherokee).
​Photo by Kimberly Deriana

NW Film Forum Window Mural

A variation on the "In Our Hands" design. This mural features borders with reflected eagle designs and a longhouse with two people residing in it, as a reminder for people to stay home. The eagles represent that power and strength of the LGBTQ+ and Indigenous communities, and how that strength will protect us through these times. The two figures will also be devoid of any gender signifiers. Who the couple is can be defined by the viewer. My hope is that this mural will be able to bring people, especially queer Indigenous people, a sense of pride in community while we are unable to come together.

Town Hall Land Acknowledgement

A tapestry design that will hang in Town Hall's lobby that will accompany their land acknowledgement. The design features a longhouse overtop an applique version of a Coast Salish wool weaving. In the longhouse are art depicting the Native communities coming together to collectively hold and reclaim space within Town Hall. Designs were created by myself (top left) Jac Trautman (bottom left), Tyson Simmons (top right), and Kate Ahvakana (bottom right) and either appliqued onto the piece by Hailey.

Modern Wayfinding Stones

Taking inspiration from pictographic stones Coast Salish peoples used to give directions or to inform people about the space, this utility box wrap design is meant to orient people to the location they're in in Kent. As you stand looking at a Coast Salish stylized camas plant and early blue violets you're facing the direction of the plateaus NE of the Green River. This area historically had oak flats and prairies of which camas would have been a common sight. Other sides depict salmon in the Green River, Rainier in the distance, and stinging nettles found in the lower wetlands of Mill Creek and Green River. Looking at the utility box whatever side you look at is telling you what kind of environment you would have historically be moving towards.

Free the Light

This installation uses two fabric wall hangings and a bentwood box structure made by wrapping a wood frame in fabric to tell the Quileute legend of how Kwati, a mythic figure in Quileute legends, stole the the sun and the moon from greedy headman of a longhouse and put them back in the sky. The story is a warning about the dangers of greed and a reminder that communities can only thrive when everyone has access to what they need.