Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

Ed Carriere Recreates Salish Basketry From Ancient Fragments

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Many cultures have practiced the "Oral Tradition" as a way of retaining and passing on important information about their own personal an communal history stories, about how they came into existence, and about how they are expected to live to be spiritual and physical humans who function well in communities of other living plants, animals, and … [Read more...]

About Melinda

Thirty 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. The experience of weaving with the materials at hand while being together with my sons on a beautiful Pacific Northwest shoreline, kindled a passion for creating art from natural plant materials. I thank my family, my community, and all my teachers for cultivating this gift in me.
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Melinda West and basket, Indianola WA