Clearly Indigenous Audio Exhibition
Northwest Coast Vessels Reinterpreted in Glass
Hello, I’m Mackenzie Strong, the museum’s curatorial assistant for Decorative Arts and Design. I will be sharing the introduction to the “Northwest Coast Vessels Reinterpreted in Glass” section of Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass.
Indigenous Peoples of the North American Pacific Coast historically made utilitarian vessels from a variety of barks, grasses, or woods. Traditional baskets and bags were made from natural fibers after a painstaking process of collecting and preparing the materials so that they could be woven into useful vessels.
Artists from Salish, Tlingit, and other Northwest Coast Nations have reinterpreted baskets and bags in blown and woven glass. Likewise, wood—which was plentiful in the Pacific Northwest—was carved into house posts, boxes, and other utilitarian items that artists have recreated in cast and carved glass, presenting traditional forms in a new medium.