Western Nevada College News
'It Started with Willows' Showcases Artwork of Great Basin Natives
Sep 23, 2023
Phil Buckheart is one of many contributors to the "It Started with Willows" exhibit now showing in the Bristlecone Main Gallery at WNC.
Capital City Arts Initiative has brought together the talents of many Great Basin Native artists this fall at Western Nevada College.
This collection of working baskets and contemporary art titled “It Started with Willows” is showing in Bristlecone Main Gallery through Dec. 21. The exhibit is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the Carson City campus, 2201 W College Parkway.
“It Started with Willows” includes contemporary paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures
from the Great Basin Native Artists collective and historic working Native baskets
from the Lloyd Chichester Collection.
Contributing artists are Ben Aleck (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe), Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva), Phil Buckheart (Absentee Shawnee/Choctaw), Loretta Burden (Fallon Paiute), Karma Henry (Fort Independence Paiute), David Ipina (Yurok), Micqaela Jones (Western Shoshone), Topaz Jones (Western Shoshone/Lummi/Kalapuya/Molalla), Kim Avanna Lawson (Northern Pauite/Tlinget), Jack Malotte (Western Shoshone/Washoe), Melissa Melero-Moose (Northern Paiute), Steve Nighthawk (Western Shoshone/Washoe/Paiute), Lyn Risling (Hupa/Karuk/Yurok), Roger Salas, (Northern Paiute), Maureen Self (Mountain Maidu), Paul Stone (Pauite/Washoe). Also included are works by teen participants from the Gathering of Native American Youth Summit.
“By bringing the Great Basin Native Artists together in a coalition they stimulate and encourage each other’s work. I am so grateful that we have found exhibition opportunities for our art. Thank you CCAI,” Melero-Moose said.
Lloyd Chichester has loaned many of his working baskets from his extensive collection to the exhibit.
“I began collecting Native American baskets when I was a 15-year-old kid. Their beauty has always intrigued me,” Chichester said. “These are all working baskets from Northern Nevada and nearby California Native artists from the Washoe and Paiute tribes. The baskets have all been used as part of their daily life. These were made for carrying babies, collecting pine nuts, catching fishes, and even toting water. All of these were made in the mid-20th century.”
The working baskets were created by Carrie Bethel (Paiute), Enie Cornbread (Washoe), Irene Dick (Washoe), Maggie George (Washoe), Maggie James (Paiute), and Irene Dressler Dick (Washoe).
A reception for these talented artists is set for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24.
— CCAI contributed to this story.
