Arts & Entertainment Archives - Page 30 of 112

Celebrate Valentine’s Day: A Contemporary Love Affair From Rock N’ Roll Romance To Sublime Dining

Tulalip Resort Casino Offers Sweethearts Multi-Sensual Dining
Options Combined with Mesmerizing Music

Tulalip, Washington – Tulalip Resort Casino knows how to translate the feelings of love. From events like the Rock Ballad Ball featuring Guns N’ Roses and Aerosmith tribute bands; to seven award-winning food and beverage outlets that feature Valentine inspired Sous Vide Lobster Medallions or Asian-infused dining fare, Tulalip Resort Casino has just what the love doctor ordered.

The Rock Ballad Ball is an out of the box extravaganza offered to the young – and the young at heart. This annual February 14th Valentine’s Day party includes a concert of tribute bands (Appetite for Deception and Aeromyth) featuring music from legendary greats Guns N’ Roses and Aerosmith. Doors open at 6:30 pm with DJ tunes. Dinner starts at 7 pm in the Orca Ballroom where guests can savor a buffet spread offering a selection of two salads, chicken or prime rib entrees, a selection of side dishes (grilled vegetables, penne pasta, mashed potatoes), assorted desserts and coffee/tea. Admirers and their main squeezes can dance the night away to rock pounding sounds starting at 8 pm.

Aeromyth has become known as the top Aerosmith Tribute band worldwide! Playing nationwide as well as International dates such as Mexico, Canada and El Salvador since 2002. Chris Vandahl does an amazing portrayal of Steven Tyler, including all of his dance moves, costumes, stage show and amazing recreation of Tyler’s outrageous vocals! Chris looks so much like Steven Tyler that many people make the mistake of thinking he really is the Aerosmith front man! The band that backs Chris is truly amazing as well, very solid and tight, recreating the music fans know and love – note for note! For more information about the band, visit aerosmithtribute.com.

Appetite for Deception fans are blown away by the attention to detail and variety of material this band delivers. Appetite for Deception strives for authenticity in all aspects of their live performance – the gear, clothes and precision of the songs included. Everything is in place to take the listener and viewer back to the heyday of Guns N’ Roses. Nearly 20 years to the date of Guns N’ Roses’ formation, Appetite for Deception was put together in Portland, Oregon by five musicians looking to continue their great legacy. The tremendous catalog of music helps to make every show a roller coaster ride of high energy and intense emotion as the memories of that era are brought back to life. For more information about the band, visit appetitefordeception.com.

Rock Ballad Ball is for those 21 and over and offers a no-host bar and festival seating. All-you-can-eat Dinner Buffet and concert tickets are priced at only $75 per person, including tax and gratuity. Tickets must be purchased in advance. To purchase Valentine’s Day Rock Ballad Ball tickets, visit ticketmaster.com or the Casino Box Office (where no additional ticket processing fees are added). Additional details can be found at Rock Ballad Ball.

Prefer something a little more intimate and less ‘rockin’ for a romantic getaway? Tulalip is offering exclusive holiday offerings at two of their world-class restaurants.

Guests can travel to Journeys East where Asian inspiration meets Tulalip hospitality with a blend of cuisine and culture in a modern, Zen-like setting. Wood, metal and glass combine to offer unmatched harmonious décor. A centrally located display kitchen features offerings from Japan, Thailand, China, Korea, and Vietnam. Enjoy handcrafted cocktails, a phenomenal sake selection and award-winning wines.

Valentine’s Day weekend dine-in specials will include Journeys East Wok Finished Lamb Chops as well as the restaurant’s signature Shrimp Hargow Dumpling. These dishes will be available in addition to the regular dinner menu from 5 pm until closing on February 12-14, 2016. To reserve a table online, visit OpenTable, or reserve by phone at 360-716-1880. No passport required – just an appetite for a delectable experience.

Gals and guys can also wow their lover with the Tulalip Bay restaurant – a winning combination of classic steakhouse meets traditional Italian with a superior wine list. Discover what magic occurs when old world taste is fused with local Northwest ingredients. The menu is filled with many delectable culinary twists from prime cut steaks and chops to freshly prepared seafood and classic Italian specialties.

This year’s Valentine’s Day Tulalip Bay dinner special for two includes the Sous Vide Lobster Medallions (due to long cooking time, pre-reservations requested) and a Sea Scallop Mousseline with avocado risotto, glazed thumbelina carrots, lobster air, and caviar along with two special cocktails of Prosecco and prickly pear foam. The special will be available in addition to the regular dinner menu from 5 pm until closing on February 14, 2016. To book a table online, visit OpenTable, or reserve by phone at 360-716-1500.

Whatever floats the proverbial Love Boat this year, Tulalip has it covered!

Hibulb Cultural Center debuts Sing Our Rivers Red

by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The reality. Since 1980, over 1,181 Native women and girls in Canada have been reported missing or have been murdered. While there isn’t a comprehensive estimate, there are many factors that contribute to the disproportionate number of Indigenous women who are missing and murdered in the United States.

Indigenous women have incurred devastating levels of violence in the United States. According to the US Department of Justice, nearly half of all Native American women have been raped, beaten or stalked by an intimate partner; one in three will be raped in their lifetime; and on some reservations, women are murdered at a rate 10 times higher than the national average. But many factors complicate the reporting and recording of these numbers, including fear, stigma, legal barriers, racism, sexism, and the perpetuation of Native women as sexual objects in mainstream media.

This map reflects the diverse community that contributed to the Sing Our Rivers Red earring installation. Over 3,400 earrings were received from over 400 locations for this project – so many that a second installation has been created that will open in Albuquerque this March.

The exhibit. On Friday, January 8, the Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve debuted the travelling earing exhibition, Sing Our Rivers Red, created by Diné (Navajo) and Chicana artist Nanibah “Nani” Chacon. The exhibition uses 1,181 single-sided earrings to represent the Indigenous women reported murdered and missing in both Canada and the United States. Nani’s intention is to use the power of this art piece to raise awareness about this epidemic that occurs in the United States and all across Turtle Island. Over 3,406 earring were donated from over 400 people, organizations, groups, and entities from six provinces in Canada and 45 states in the U.S.

Former Board of Director, Deborah Parker, who had an immense role in the 2013 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization, was present to witness the exhibit debut and speak on its importance.

“I thank everyone here for honoring the work that’s been going on, for honoring all the missing and murdered Indigenous women who are represented by these earrings. I know for some of us this is a difficult issue to even talk about,” said Parker. “When we talk about policy, protecting, and justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women there’s not always the words that can be said to fight on behalf of those who cannot speak. I know this is such a somber, such a hard issue to think about, but it’s so important for us to discuss. So I really want to honor each and every one of you who are here tonight because you are part of the story, you are part of the prayers, and I’m hoping and praying you are part of the solution.

“This exhibit is a good way to open up that dialogue and discuss the issues represented in this art and those earrings. We no longer have to remain silent. I strongly believe when we speak of the missing and murdered Indigenous women that we honor them on the other side, we honor their name and their presence. They deserve to be honored and to be talked about in a way that will bring justice because no one deserves to go missing from their families, no one deserves to be murdered. Hopefully, we leave this exhibit feeling motivated to stand up and to speak out for justice.”

Before closing the evening’s debut, several strong and motivated Tulalip women donated earrings and shared words of their importance. The earrings will join the many others that represent and speak for those who can’t speak for themselves.

Board of Director, Theresa Sheldon, was one of those who donated earrings to the exhibit. “Planting those seeds of change right now is just the beginning. Making it a regular conversation with people, finding where it is that you are comfortable to discuss these issues, and learning how to further the conversation helps victims become survivors,” explained Sheldon. “I truly thank you all for answering the call and being here. Please share what you witnessed tonight and carry on the words that were shared and know that you can make a difference. By sharing these messages and breaking the cycle of silence you have that ability to provide opportunities for healing.”

The mission. The Sing Our Rivers Red exhibition and events aim to bring awareness to the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women and colonial-gender based violence in the United States and Canada. The events strive to raise consciousness, unite ideas and demand action for Indigenous women and girls who have been murdered or gone missing, raped, and assaulted, and who have not received the proper attention and justice.

Sing Our Rivers Red stands in solidarity and with collaborative spirit to support the efforts built in Canada and to highlight the need for awareness and action to address colonial gender violence in the United States. The events recognize that each of us has a voice to not only speak out about the injustices against our sisters, but also use the strength of those voices to sing for our healing. Water is the source of life and so are women. We are connecting our support through the land and waters across the border: we need to “Sing Our Rivers Red” to remember the missing and murdered and those who are metaphorically drowning in injustices.

Missing. Oil on canvas. From the artist, “I created this piece to honor the lives and memory of unexplained murders and missing Indigenous women of North America. The imagers I chose places a woman amongst a landscape and butterflies. The interaction of the woman and the butterflies has little do with one another in the physical sense; instead, I combine the elements in this painting in an overlapping manner to create cohesion between three violated subjects. The butterflies are a symbol for Indigenous women, which is why they are seen moving through and within the woman. The monarch butterfly has a migratory pattern that spans North America. In recent documentation, the monarch butterfly is also unexplainably dying / missing. In this piece, I wanted to depict the connection between land and women – I see that we are mistreating and killing both. I believe that because there is no respect for the land, there is no respect for women. I believe when one stops, the other will too.” — Missing. Oil on canvas. From the artist, “I created this piece to honor the lives and memory of unexplained murders and missing Indigenous women of North America. The images I chose places a woman amongst a landscape and butterflies. The interaction of the woman and the butterflies has little do with one another in the physical sense; instead, I combine the elements in this painting in an overlapping manner to create cohesion between three violated subjects. The butterflies are a symbol for Indigenous women, which is why they are seen moving through and within the woman. The monarch butterfly has a migratory pattern that spans North America. In recent documentation, the monarch butterfly is also unexplainably dying / missing. In this piece, I wanted to depict the connection between land and women – I see that we are mistreating and killing both. I believe that because there is no respect for the land, there is no respect for women. I believe when one stops, the other will too.”

Sing Our Rivers Red will be on display at the Hibulb Cultural Center through the end of the month. For hours and directions, please visit HibulbCulturalCenter.org

Tulalip Resort Casino Appoints Jeremy Taisey as Chef/GM of their AAA Four Diamond Tulalip Bay Restaurant

Source: Allan Aquila & Associates, LLC

Tulalip, Washington — Tulalip Resort Casino is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeremy Taisey as the new Chef/GM of their Four Diamond Tulalip Bay Restaurant — bringing new vision and experience to the operation. Prior to joining the Resort’s culinary team, Jeremy Taisey was cooking up cutting-edge fare at the Woodmark Hotel Kirkland, Las Vegas’ Bellagio Hotel, The Regent Hotel Beijing, along with the Pine Valley Resort in Beijing and other local area hotels.

“We are excited to bring Jeremy Taisey on-board,” states Executive Chef Perry Mascitti. “He possesses an incredible mixture of knowledge, creativity, and foresight that he will bring to the operation. Our guests are going to enjoy what he creates for them.”

Native to the Seattle area, Jeremy Taisey has always been fascinated by the happenings in the kitchen. It was during an Easter brunch at a local hotel that he decided to become a chef. The next day, Jeremy Taisey enrolled himself in the Edmonds Community College Culinary Arts program, which allowed him to fulfill his dream.

In 2006, Jeremy Taisey decided to pack his belongings and venture to Beijing, China, to marry his fiancé of three years. It was during his time in China that Jeremy Taisey’s career really took off. During his nomadic culinary journey, he cooked for many famous individuals, such as the Governor of Beijing, Israel’s Prime Minister, the Princess of Thailand, and actors Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Christopher Lloyd.

Jeremy Taisey returned to his hometown in 2012, bringing with him a blend of unique experiences and an unparalleled skill set. His goals for the Tulalip Bay menu are to create seasonal dishes featuring modern interpretations of Italian meals, using local ingredients with a focus on top-rated prime steaks.

When Jeremy Taisey isn’t cooking up a storm in the kitchen, he can be found spending quality time with his wife and enjoying great food.

Unlocking Indigenous Knowledge

Burke Museum helping to revive lost traditions

The model Angyaaq, which means ‘open boat’ to the Sugpiat peoples of Alaska. Photo/Micheal Rios — The model Angyaaq, which means ‘open boat’ to the Sugpiat peoples of Alaska.
Photo/Micheal Rios

by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Burke Museum, located on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, is home to more than 16 million historical artifacts and objects. The thing is, only a few thousand are on display on a daily basis. Of those millions and millions of artifacts hidden away in archives and storage rooms, there is no telling how many hold cultural keys that could unlock indigenous knowledge once thought lost or destroyed forever during colonization and European settlement.

Enter Dr. Sven Haakanson, member of the Alutiq people of Kodiak, Alaska. Sven is a world renowned curator of North American ethnology and currently the head of Native American anthropology at the Burke Museum. Sven has joined the Burke team to use the museum’s amazing collection and vast resources to find those keys to indigenous knowledge currently hidden away.

“For me, the real privilege is having access to such an amazing collection because when I look at ethnographic pieces I don’t see an art piece, I see a historic object,” says Sven. “I see something that we can use the museum as a way to bring back a lot of that traditional knowledge, that we thought was lost, and put it back into a living context.”

A prime example of rediscovering indigenous knowledge that was thought lost forever has been the finding of simple model boat. Well, it was thought of as simple and sat away in collections until Sven came across it and realized he had stumbled across long lost knowledge.

What he found was a model Angyaaq, which means ‘open boat’ to the Sugpiat peoples of Alaska. This model Angyaaq is one of only a dozen known to exist and hold secrets to a long ago mode of transportation. It demonstrates a lost building tradition, models the difference pieces needed, and material and engineering techniques used to build a full-size Angyaaq – like marine animal skins to wrap the hull and lashing to tie all the pieces together. This model is key to Sven unlocking and reviving a practice of boat making absent on Kodiak for nearly 200 years.

According to Burke researchers, the Angyaat (plural for Angyaaq) were an essential part of the Sugpiat peoples of Southern Alaska’s livelihood and culture for thousands of years. An open boat used for transportation, hunting, trading, warring and more. Angyaat were a symbol of prosperity and wealth. Remnants of these boats are present in archaeological sites; yet, by the 1820s, roughly twenty years after contact, Russian settlers had either taken or destroyed all Angyaat in an effort to restrict the Native peoples’ ability to move, gather in large numbers, and display their wealth and power. Due to this destruction, very little is known about a type of boat once common on Kodiak Island.

What Sven set out to do was first make successful models of the model, in an effort to teach himself how to build the open boat without the use of modern methods. “No nails, no glue” in order to replicate and then teach the traditional way. After many intricate sketches and even more attempted models later, Sven had taught himself how to replicate the Angyaaq model using the same traditional techniques. The next phase is to use the model to build a full-size, working boat.

“By building this traditional boat in the traditional style, we are taking information that was lost from my community in the 1800s and figuring out innovative ways restore that indigenous knowledge,” explains Sven. “We are not just reverse engineering the model, but we will build a full-size one so we can share that information back into the communities from which it came. This is just one example of thousands that we can do for the next 100 years for our local Native communities both here in Washington and in Alaska.”

“The amazing can happen when you look at these museum objects not just as beautiful art pieces, but think about the history embodied in them. Think about what it means to the indigenous peoples and how they can then take this lost knowledge and re-embrace it while celebrating it. For me, it’s a process of rediscovery, of looking at how innovative, how adaptive, and how scientific my ancestors were. In that, this Angyaaq is just one example of who knows how many others we have and haven’t explored yet. I’m hoping this will be a catalyst for asking even more questions and continue to be innovative as we search through the past.”

Over the summer, Sven will travel to Kodiak Island to work with tribal members on the construction of several model Angyaat, with the goal of training students how to build a full-size, working boat in the future. Practicing this reconstruction with community members is helping share Sugpiat heritage and traditions, restoring knowledge that’s been lost, and providing a research model for others around the world to emulate.

Until then, Sven with continue to hone his Angyaat building skills as he hosts a live exhibit that can be witnessed by all. Witness the revival of a lost practice as part of a special month-long program at the Burke Museum. Visitors can see the finished Angyaaq in the Maker-Market from December 20 – January 3. Check burkemuseum.org/maker for the up-to-date boat construction schedule.

7th Annual Taste of Tulalip: Celebrating food, wine and tradition

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News; photos courtesy Maria Capili Photography

The Tulalip Resort and Casino (TRC) routinely displays all the reasons why it has earned the coveted AAA Four Diamond Award every year since 2009. Day and night the TRC staff are hard at work, dedicated to providing excellent customer service. As a Four Diamond Award winner, the TRC consistently delivers a luxurious experience, complete with a high level of service, amenities, and impressive surroundings. But, there is one event, held one weekend of the year where the TRC transforms itself from much, much more than the casino we often think of it as. In fact, this event has little to do with slot machines or table games at all.

The event is the annual Taste of Tulalip, Washington State’s coveted culinary festival of the year. More of a food and wine experience than an event, the two-day Taste of Tulalip showcases gourmet food and an assortment of fine wine hand-selected by Tulalip’s top-notch culinary team, led by Executive Chef Perry Mascitti and award-winning Sommelier Tommy Thompson. This year, the Taste of Tulalip celebrated its seventh anniversary over the weekend of November 13.

On Friday evening, Four-hundred and fifty guests filled the Orca Ballroom for the Taste of Tulalip’s 7^th Annual Celebration Dinner. The theme of this year’s dinner was “La Famiglia”, which is Italian for “the family”. In sticking with the theme, the Orca Ballroom was completely decked out in Italian backdrops, tapestry, fountains, and even live performance art. If the visuals weren’t enough to have you thinking you were in little Italy, then the live musicians, from an opera singer to a mandolin player, definitely did the trick.

The evening’s inspiration came from the love of Italian grandmothers everywhere who have a special passion for cooking amazing food every day for their families. In tribute, Tulalip chefs recreated many of their beloved recipes, paired with a global offering of rare, top wines.

Tulalip traditions were also highlighted throughout the evening. Tulalip artists continue to use traditional tools and techniques, while also using computer graphics, power tools, laser cuts and more to bring both traditional and innovative forms of Coast Salish art to the 21^st century. That’s why Tulalip artist Mike Gobin was chosen to design this year’s Taste of Tulalip logo. The logo he created was etched and printed onto wine glasses, dinner plates, and various marketing materials.

“The Taste of Tulalip logo was inspired by my father, Thomas J. Gobin, and my twin sister, Marilyn R. Lewis (Gobin),” says Mike of his unique, Coast Salish design. “The salmon represents the people of the Tulalip Tribes, “People of the Salmon’. My father’s Indian name means, ‘Man soars with Eagles’, and my sister’s Indian name means, ‘Aunty to all’. So the eagle represents my father and the hummingbird represents my sister. The eagle is hugging the hummingbird, so, with my father and sister gone now, this design represents my father meeting my sister in heaven and giving her a big hug. I’ve entitled this design, “A Father’s Heavenly Embrace”. I miss both of them a great deal.”

Within the Tulalip community, giving has often been an expectation of individuals as a means of sharing and survival. As Tulalip has grown economically and prospered from several business ventures, the tribes’ charitable donation program has continued to grow in kind and gives to nonprofits around the region. On this night, Snohomish-based veteran’s organization Heartbeat – Serving Wounded Warriors received two checks for $10,000 each. Heartbeat provides emergency assistance, therapeutic services, support groups, and morale-building programs for wounded service members and their families in Washington State.

“It’s critical that we serve those who gave up so much for our freedoms,” Tulalip Chairman Mel Sheldon said. “I was a Vietnam veteran, and if programs like this had been around back then, it would have changed everything. This is truly healing medicine.”

Friday evening’s celebration dinner was followed up with Saturday’s gourmet food and wine extravaganza, as more than 2,000 guests came from all over the region to attend wine seminars, cooking demonstrations and, of course, the Grand Taste. Attendees savored flavors of exceptional food and wine pairings from around the globe as they sauntered about lavish food stations by TRC award-winning chefs, countless winery samples from Washington, Oregon and California, craft beer selections, and even two separate lounges featuring their own hand-picked pours.

The only way to adequately describe the Grant Taste is to share photos, which as they say, are worth a thousand words. And if your mouth doesn’t water, then you’re not looking hard enough. The food was utterly fantastic, as every dish was prepared to wow the taste buds. Add in the wine selection, which encompasses the entire spectrum from once in a lifetime to perfect for a normal Tuesday, and we have a creative and fun atmosphere, free of snobbery and pretentiousness.

The two-day Taste of Tulalip is the annual opportunity for the Tulalip Resort Casino to drop the casino part and flex its culinary muscles as the Tulalip Resort, proving itself as a true destination in the Pacific Northwest’s food and dining scene. Both Friday and Saturday’s events sell-out every year, so be on the lookout for information regarding next year’s Taste of Tulalip at www.tasteoftulalip.com

Christmas Powwow and Coastal Jam, December 19

Strengthening our community: Red Curtain Arts Center hosts Tulalip culture night

by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

On Friday, October 23, the Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts, in partnership with the Tulalip Tribes’ Lushootseed Language Department, hosted a free cultural event from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tulalip tribal member and Lushootseed teacher, Maria Martin, shared the legend of “Her First Basket” in Lushootseed and English, accompanied by tribal illustrations and artwork.

Scott Randall, president of the Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts in Marysville, first approached Maria at the annual Raising Hands event in 2014 with his idea for bringing the Marysville and Tulalip communities together with a culture night.

“We, Scott and I, thought it would be beneficial to everyone in the Marysville and Tulalip communities. There is a separation between the two and we wanted to break down that wall,” stated Maria. “We know we can be a strong community, but there is so much unknown about one another. This event is just one way for our communities to come together and grow.

“We plan on having a story and activity once a month. It is a free event, with donations if you feel up to it. We just want to break down those walls of curiosity. I’m sure that there are many Natives/ Tulalip community members that have encountered some sort of silly question about Native Americans and how we live. This is a way to educate outsiders, to understand one another.”

Maria chose to share her favorite Lushootseed story “Her First Basket”, a core story in the Lushootseed Department’s values book, and pass along the significant meaning it holds to both her and her people.

“It’s a story about not giving up and there is a bit of community unity within it as well,” explains Maria. “A Cedar tree helps this little girl to see her potential and she gains friends for it. Bringing people together and seeing their potential, it’s something every teacher strives for.”

Marysville and Tulalip community members were invited to partake in the evening of culture. Each table within the auditorium had at its center a “Her First Basket” picture book, so that children and adults could follow along as Maria first told the story in her traditional language, Lushootseed.

Following the storytelling sessions, the audience members were taught some basic weaving skills, using paper and yarn as substitutes for traditional cedar strips, to create their own basket and memento from the evening.

“After telling the story in Lushootseed and in English, we worked on making paper and yarn baskets. For many it was their first basket. It was a fun experience, and people’s talents are so amazing,” says Maria. “I hope to see more community members from both the Marysville and Tulalip communities at future events. We are all related, we live right next to one another, and our care for our neighbors is so important. It was so nice to see the people that showed up; the outcome of their basket making was beautiful. Accomplishing something you haven’t done before is such a great feeling, and meeting new people with the new experience is a beautiful thing too. There are so many people out there that we can all learn something from.”

Contact Micheal Rios, mrios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

Hibulb Cultural Center presents Matika Wilbur’s Natural Wanderment

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

During the evening of Friday, October 23, the Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve held a small, intimate gathering to unveil its latest exhibit, Natural Wanderment: Stewardship. Sovereignty. Sacredness. An exhibition of Native American portraits and stories that honors and seeks to protect ancestral ways of life and lands in North America.

Matika Wilbur, of the Tulalip and Swinomish tribes, presented an extraordinary exhibition of Project 562 portraits of Native Americans devoted to the protection of the sacred and the natural. Project 562 aims to build cultural bridges, abandon stereotypes and renew and inspire our national legacy by documenting people from 562+ Tribal Nations in the United States.

“Project 562 is my offering to you. It is for the people. For each of us. It is with deep respect that I welcome you to my newest collection: Natural Wanderment: Stewardship, Sovereignty, Sacredness,” said Matika in a welcome pamphlet to all those who attended the opening night’s unveil. “This collection of images is meant to help us understand our relationship with the mother earth.”

Matika, one of the Pacific Northwest’s leading photographers, has exhibited extensively in regional, national, and international venues such as the Seattle Art Museum, the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, The Tacoma Art Museum, the Royal British Columbia Museum of Fine Arts, and the Nantes Museum of Fine Arts in France. Her photographs have been acquired for the permanent collections of the Tacoma Art Museum and the Seattle Art Museum.

“Most of the portraits are accompanied with excerpts from our interviews recorded on the road,” stated Matika. “The responses of the featured people provide a special opportunity to bring you closer what we have experienced and come to understand from so many Native Americans in their own lands. These speakers’ words allow imagination of identities and realities, history and places that are otherwise difficult if not impossible to experience. It is so important to us that people be able to tell their own stories from their own places.”

Matika studied photography at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Montana and received a bachelor’s degree from Brooks Institute of Photography in California. Her work led her to becoming a certified teacher at Tulalip Heritage High School, providing inspiration for the youth of her own indigenous community. She is unique as an artist and social documentarian in Indian Country. The insight, depth, and passion with which she explores the contemporary Native identity and experience are communicated through the impeccable artistry of each of her heartwarming photographs.

“This is just the beginning,” Matika concluded. “There are many miles of the journey left to travel, and many, many more stories to share. I offer deepest thanks to my family, the Tulalip Tribes’ Hibulb Cultural Center, the Project 562 Team…and other supporters for believing in and helping us continue our work. I am so grateful that you are here; my hands are raised to you!”

Project 562, with intense and widespread attention, will when completed produce a fine arts book series, curricula, documentary, project-derived fashion, and other cutting edge Native American aesthetic material distinct in creativity and quality, origin and insight. To learn more please visit project562.com.

The exhibit unveiling included a gathering at Hibulb’s longhouse, opening prayer by Tulalip Board of Director Marie Zackuse, welcoming songs by the Tulalip Canoe Family, and song and dance by Tlingit dance group, the Náakw Dancers,

Following the exhibit preview, Matika took to Facebook to express her overwhelming gratitude for all those who made her evening a special one.

“A great big thank you to the Tulalip Hibulb Cultural Center for hosting a beautiful opening for Project 562 last night! My heart is so full of love and gratitude… A million thanks to our Tulalip leaders, community members, singers and dancers that blessed us with your beautiful words and songs, I could hear your drum beat in my dreams last night! Thank you to my incredible family and friends for your unwavering support and uplifting encouragement– it was so good to see so many relatives! I’m overwhelmed with gratitude this morning- thank you for believing in this great big idea to ‘change the way we see Native America’. It took so many people to bring it all together, thank you for being a part of it. You make it possible.”

The 42-piece photographic exhibit, Natural Wanderment: Stewardship. Sovereignty. Sacredness, will be on display through June 11, 2016 at the Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve.

Category: Arts & Entertainment