Illustrations

Honoring Natural Cycles

I created “Honoring Natural Cycles” as an homage to the orca salmon connection. The line designs surrounding the orcas represent sonar, which is how they find food and communicate. The spirals represent the life cycles of the salmon and the orca. My heart has been broken since I learned about the struggles of Southern Resident orcas, including starvation caused by overfishing, military sonar effects, and unnecessary dams on rivers. I hope one day they can have their home back with an unlimited food source and a sonar-free atmosphere.

The print was included in the following exhibits:

Honor: People and Salmon, Kittredge Gallery in the University of Puget Sound

Submergence: Going Below the Surface with Orca and Salmon, Jack Straw Cultural Center

Healing from American Boarding Schools

Boarding schools affect my DNA. My grandfather went to Fort Peck boarding school. My great-grandmother went to a boarding school. The words in the hair include all of the boarding schools in the U.S. The woman with her hair filled in with the names represents those of us who haven’t been able to heal yet. The woman on the right has less names in her hair because she has done a lot of healing and she can now help others with theirs. 73 of the boarding schools remain open as of 2020. 15 are still boarding. The majority of the schools were Catholic, Presbyterian, and Quaker. Information was provided by the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.