Clear Saltwater Creations: Thank You, Robin Little Wing Sigo

Clear Saltwater Creations: Thank you, Robin Little Wing Sigo

Jeffrey Moose Gallery is proud to present the final exhibition of its Thirtieth Anniversary year, a show of local Indigenous artists from Suquamish, “Clear Saltwater Creations”,featuring artists Kate Ahvakana, Toma Villa and Nigel Lawrence. The exhibition is presented in Honor of Robin Little Wing Sigo, who pointed the way. The show will run from First Friday, December 5th through Saturday, January 31st. Receptions will be held on First Fridays, December 5th, 6-8m pm and on First Friday, January 2nd, 6-8, with a Facebook livestream running from roughly 5:20-5:40 previous to both events.

In November of 1998, the gallery showed the work of Inuipiat artist Larry Ahvakana; carvings in wood, marble and bone were exhibited together with woodcut prints. Ahvakana’s work is collected worldwide and held by The Smithsonian, The Heard Museum, The Seattle Art Museum and the Bainbridge Museum of Art, among many.

Twenty seven years later, daughter Kate will exhibit works on paper, metal and other media, much of it digitally composed. Her subject matter concerns Nature Spirits and traditional Suquamish motifs, some taught to her by her Suquamish mother Peg, an accomplished artist in her own right. She also works with traditional fibers and other natural material as well as in acrylic, oil and watercolor. Kate works for the Suquamish Tribe as the Director of the Cultural Resources Department where she does graphic design for tribal issues. She attended UNLV where she earned a BA in Art.

Her husband, Toma Villa is a member of the Yakama Nation. A fisherman and multidisciplinary artist, he is known as a graffiti artist, muralist and carver but also makes prints and recently delved into acting. His murals and public art can be found in the city of Portland: his mural Sky Fox, based on his own origin story of stars and moon, is visible on the side of the Artists Repertory Theater in Southwest Portland. Another mural can be seen at Nesika Illahee, a Native-serving housing development in Portland’s Cully neighborhood. Villa also provided a massive wood carving, measuring ten feet in diameter, for the newly opened Portland Central Courthouse. Recently, he starred in a a short film, “Guardian of the Land”(Oregon Public Broadcasting), which tells the story of Sasquatch from a Native perspective.

Nigel Lawerence is a Suquamish educator and Canoe Journey Captain. He emphasizes that the canoes are not boats, but “Ah-Oatks” in Suquamish, or sea-going canoes. His catching photos of a 2014 journey to Bella Bella, a two week paddle to just North of Vancouver  Island, are filled with colorful, painted old growth cedar canoes powered by tribal members from across the Puget Sound. Lawrence has served on the Tribal Council for 8 years and a Healing of the Canoe trainer since 2010. He has a photography Certificate from UW, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University and a Master of Education from UW Tacoma. He teaches at both Western Washington University and the UW. His photos have been shown at the Suquamish Tribe Foundation’s Reception event: “Ancestral Waterways” in Seattle in September, 2024.