Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

Growing, gathering, and weaving with plant fibers from the Pacific Northwest

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Spring – It’s on the Way

March 14, 2023 By Melinda

Red-Flowering Currant

Hello. I hope this greeting finds you well. Spring is coming! The Red-Osier Dogwood tips will soon turn from beautiful winter-red to a less noticeable brown. The creek is running full, and a lovely spring ground cover called “False Lily of the Valley”, or “Deer Cabbage” (Fauria crista-galli), is coming to the surface along the soggy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, News, Plants and Places

Water Is Life – A Song Worth Hearing

March 3, 2023 By Melinda

Hello - If you’re reading this, you are likely a person who would be touched by this song. The words of Oliver Enjady put into song by Lyla June. I receive so much encouragement when I take the time to listen look and/or listen to the art created by young people today. I hope you enjoy. Please take good care of yourself. M (From the YouTube … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, My Teachers, News Tagged With: Lyla June, Oliver Enjady, Song, Water is Life

Suquamish Elder Ed Carriere is a 2023 National Heritage Fellow

March 2, 2023 By Melinda

We who know Ed Carriere, have always seen him as a treasured teacher and an encyclopedia of traditional ecological knowledge. But now he will truly be honored as a 2023 National Heritage Fellowship Recipient! For immediate release: Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 10:00 am ET Contact: Allison Hill, hilla@arts.gov, 202-682-5037 National Endowment … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, My Teachers, News, Upcoming

Our Sacred Obligation – A Story Worth Spreading

March 1, 2023 By Melinda

Our Sacred Obligation is a well told story of resilience, persistence, purpose and hope. To bring the salmon back to the Klamath River requires decades of hard work, vision, collaboration, community and great leadership. We can all learn from this story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtwICrXSbFI&t=122s My deepest thanks to everyone … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, News, Plants and Places, Resources, Upcoming Tagged With: collaboration, Klamath River, Our Sacred Obligation, Yurok

Basketry Program at BARN-Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network

October 9, 2022 By Melinda

After an almost two year pause in the basketry program at the Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network (BARN) due to the covid pandemic, I was honored to be able to contribute to this program by teaching a Weaving Nature Workshop this Fall. Many volunteers besides myself have worked hard to build a Basketry program at BARN, which began it’s programs … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, News, Plants and Places, Students, Weaving from the Wild, Weaving Nature, Workshops

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Recent Posts

  • Spring – It’s on the Way
  • Water Is Life – A Song Worth Hearing
  • Suquamish Elder Ed Carriere is a 2023 National Heritage Fellow
  • Our Sacred Obligation – A Story Worth Spreading
  • Basketry Program at BARN-Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network

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About Melinda

Forty years ago, while sitting on the beach playing with my young children, I made my first basket out of a pile of willow trimmings someone had tossed there. It looked wildly made like a crazy bird’s nest. While being together with my two sons on a beautiful Pacific Northwest shoreline, this simple experience of crafting with the natural materials at hand kindled a passion for creating forms using plant fibers. I thank my family, my community, and all my teachers for cultivating this gift in me.
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