Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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Clam Shell Rattle Necklaces

May 24, 2014 By Melinda

2014Odyssey

I was delighted to be invited by teacher, Peggy Koivu, to share the cultural art and science story that my practice of art imparts, with her first and second graders at their Environmental Education Camp retreat. Part of the Bainbridge Island Public School system, this was a class from their Odyssey Program, an alternative program involving lots of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Students, Weaving Nature, Workshops Tagged With: Bainbridge Island, clam basket, clam shell rattle necklace, cultural art, Ed Carriere, Environmental Science, first and second graders, First Peoples, Katie Jennings, Media Alley, Odyessy Program, Pacific Northwest, Peggy Koivu, public schools, Small Plant Fiber Projects, spring, Suquamish elder

The Odyssey Program 1st and 2nd Grades

June 19, 2012 By Melinda

Camp Indianola, 5-7-12

This May I was happy to be invited to teach an ethnobotany lesson to Peggy Koivu's 1st and 2nd graders in the Odyssey Program, from the Bainbridge Island School District, at Camp Indianola, in Indianola, Washington. Here is one group of students making 'nature beads' out of 1" lengths of Red Osier Dogwood and Swamp Willow twigs, that were … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Students, Weaving Nature, Workshops Tagged With: 1st and 2nd graders, Bainbridge Arts Education Community Consortium, Bainbridge Island, Camp Indianola, clam shell rattle, class, Environmental Science, Michelle Berg, North Kitsap Odyssey Students, Peggy Koivu, Seattle, Small Plant Fiber Projects, spring, students, teaching, The Basketry School, workshhop

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Recent Posts

  • Local History – Interview With Barbara Ann Lawrence – Suquamish Tribal Cultural Teacher and Storyteller
  • 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

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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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