Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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Indigenous Beauty Exhibit at SAM

March 5, 2015 By Melinda

Anyone interested in the high art forms of our North American Indigenous Peoples will appreciate this rare exhibit of the Diker Collection at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM). In conjunction with this exhibit, on February 28, SAM brought in professional storytellers, dancers and musicians from many native communities who shared throughout the day; … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Students, Weaving Nature, Workshops Tagged With: all ages community day, drop by art making, Nature Necklaces, SAM, Seattle Art Museum, Small Plant Fiber Projects, students, weaving projects table

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Recent Posts

  • Porch Papermaking With Food Plants – Cardoon and Kale
  • Paper from the Ditch – Weathered Reed Canary Grass
  • Late Winter Papermaking – Mixing Siberian Iris Leaves and Lichens
  • More Spring Porch Papermaking – With Ivy Leaves
  • Here’s What’s Cooking – Porch Paper Making

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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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Melinda West and basket, Indianola WA

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