Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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Weaving Words – 1990 Suquamish-Indianola Oral Histories

April 3, 2021 By Melinda

Weaving Words - 1990 Suquamish-Indianola Oral Histories Thirty years ago, some White land owners from the community where I live attempted to block the sale of land to the Suquamish Tribe. For most of time, this land was known to be a part of Traditional Suquamish Territory, so the Tribe persisted and eventually purchased enough land in Indianola … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, My Teachers, News, Resources, Upcoming Tagged With: 1990 Suquamish-Indianola Storytelling Project, Ed Carriere, Elliott Pickrell, Ethel Kitsap Sam, Eva Meacham, Ida Purser, Jo MacKay Imeson, Joan Sunde, Lawrence Webster, MacKay Family, Marilyn Wandrey, Oral Histories, Reine Enschede, Suquamish Museum

Ed Carriere’s Residency at Bloedel Reserve

March 13, 2021 By Melinda

It was a delight to spend a sunny afternoon this March visiting Suquamish Master Weaver and Cultural Teacher, Ed Carriere, during his Artist in Residency at the Bloedel Reserve. Suquamish Elder, Marilyn Wandrey, Ed’s younger cousin, explored the native woodland landscape on Bainbridge Island that surrounds the beautiful house where Ed is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, My Teachers, News, Upcoming, Weaving with Cedar Tagged With: Artist in Residency, Bloedel Reserve, Ed Carriere, Marilyn Wandrey, National Museum of Natural History, National Treasures, Split Cedar Limbs, Split Cedar Roots

Gratitudes For the Cedar Exhibit at Heronswood

March 27, 2019 By Melinda

Darlene Peters S’Klallam Cultural Teacher & Weaver

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for every person here. Hannah Jones who made this exhibit so beautiful & Deb Sweet who helped build the weaving programs at BARN. Dan Hinkley, one of the original Heronswood Founders, who now offers his guidance and expertise as the Port Gamble S’Klallam Foundation breathes life back into the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, Community, My Teachers, Upcoming Tagged With: Betty Pasco, Clam Basket A Story By Ed Carriere, Dan Hinkley, Darlene Peters, Denise Dumouchel, Duane Pasco, Ed Carriere, Ellen Miyasato, Hannah Jones, Heronswood Garden, Heronswood Garden House Exhibit, Jessica Henderson, Joan Garrow, Karen Salsbury, Katie Jennings, LeeAnn Woolery, Makita Wilborn, Melissa Streun, Polly Adams Sutton, S’Klallam, Skagit elder Vi Hilbert, Skokomish elder Bruce Miller, Sue Skelly

Ed Carriere’s Fish Net Anchor Artifact Workshop at BARN

June 5, 2018 By Melinda

Ed Carriere preps a cedar limb.

Suquamish Master Weaver Ed Carriere and I really enjoyed being able to share a fun project with wonderful creative students at Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network, or BARN, this past May 5, 2018. Fish net anchors have been made and used by Coast Salish Peoples since they began fishing the waters of the Salish Sea from six to ten thousand … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, My Teachers, News, Students, Workshops Tagged With: Adult students, Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network, BARN workshops, Ed Carriere, Fish Net Anchor Artifact

Basketry Workshops At Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network

June 25, 2017 By Melinda

Artist Sue Skelly

June has flown by, and with it, many wonderful experiences. One being that the Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network, or BARN, has opened the doors to a beautiful new building on Bainbridge Island, a place of community and learning for makers of many disciplines.  Programs for all eleven studios are up and running, with a huge outpouring of response … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, News, Upcoming, Weaving with Cedar, Workshops Tagged With: Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network, BARN, Basketry Programs, Berry Pouch, Cedar Tree To Pouch, Cedar weaving, Ed Carriere, fiber art, Garden Spire, Nancy Sigo, Sue Skelly, Suquamish elder, Suquamish Weaver, Woven Cedar Works

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  • Spring – It’s on the Way
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  • Suquamish Elder Ed Carriere is a 2023 National Heritage Fellow
  • Our Sacred Obligation – A Story Worth Spreading
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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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