Chilkat Weaving Demonstration at Bill Reid Gallery

Feb 4, 2011 | Class Act, Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated | 3 comments

Martine Reid introduces Clarissa to an audience enthusiastic about Chilkat weaving in the great hall of the Bill Reid Gallery in downtown Vancouver, B.C.

There are several weavers who are scheduled to do presentations during the Time Warp exhibit on contemporary Northwest Coast weavers at the Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver, B.C. Canada.    Since the exhibit opened in July 2010, 18,000 visitors viewed the beautiful weavings; you have a couple of weeks to visit the show – it closes at the end of this month.  Haida weavers Delores Churchill, Evelyn Vanderhoop and Lisa Telford will be doing presentations during the closing weekend. If you are in the Vancouver area within this next month, you still have time to visit this fabulous exhibit.

A few of the beautiful handwoven textiles at the "Time Warp" Northwest Coast Indigenous Weavers Exhibit

Last weekend I demonstrated Chilkat and Ravenstail techniques at the gallery on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.  Other than the usual demonstration on the techniques of Chilkat weaving (i.e. two-strand twining, 3-strand braids, interlock and the magical use of the drawstring), I spoke of my perspectives and theories on specific personality traits of the various clans, leading to the specifics on each moiety, the Ravens and the Eagles and how I noticed certain patterns in our clan system, patterns I was once oblivious to and now seem obvious.  Like what?  Well,… that in a class of 10 students, generally one of them will be an Eagle, all the rest are Ravens.  Why is that?  I brought up the subject of the Killerwhale women, those who are inquiring about learning Chilkat weaving from me.  I know not these women, yet after a few emails and phone calls I have an inkling they are from the Killerwhale clan.  How can I decipher that they are from the Killerwhale clan just by a few phone calls?   I also answered several political questions, they included:

1).  How do I feel about robes being auctioned off (there was a man from a local auction company in the audience who had a Chilkat robe with him inquiring about its age)?  How do I feel about robes that are in collections and museums around the world that are not in our presence being used for ceremony?

2).  Do I teach non-Natives?  If not, why?

3).  How do I feel about men weaving Chilkat?

(What were my answers?  You’ll have to come to my next presentation! – Check out my calendar on my website to see if I am doing a Chilkat weaving presentation in your area at: Clarissa’s 2011 Calendar)  Note:  If you are in the Juneau area, I will be doing a two-hour presentation at the University of Alaska Southeast at 10am-noon in the Glacier View Room on Thursday, February 24th).

When I answered each question, I had a story to tell from my own personal experiences as a weaver, a member of my clan, a comrade to fellow weavers, and as a teacher of Chilkat.  As you can imagine, these questions are touchy subjects.  Yet to my own surprise, I answered each with a level of grace.  I bet the audience probably thought I had answered these questions all the time.  Not!  The presentations that I gave this weekend were nothing like I had done in the past.

The presentations  were supposed to be 2-hours; I had no idea I went over another hour to two hours and the audience still wanted more.  What more did they want as most of my presentation was storytelling?  They wanted more of that!

(Now, bear with me as I tell a story that might sound like I am bragging about myself, but continue, as in our custom, we tell the story  full circle before we get to the point.)

Since 1989 I have given public presentations and demonstrations to as few as 25 people up to 2000, in diverse  venues including Clan Conferences, the U.S. Forest Service, Holland America Lines tour ships, the Smithsonian, the National Museum of the American Indian, Toadlena Trading Post near Shiprock, N.M., the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, the University of Alaska Southeast, the Alaska State Museum and the Teslin Cultural Center.  After that many years, you would think that I’ve got my presentation down pat (i.e. an outline, a power point presentation, handouts, brochures, business cards, and basic answers to the all-time questions).  I don’t.  I improvise every time.  No notes.  No nervousness.  No worries.  I do a presentation depending on the “feel” of the audience, the “feel” of the space, and what the hosts expect (or don’t expect) from me. I hadn’t even realized how “unprofessional” I was until most of the audience flocked about me when our time was up and I just carried on continuing to talk about personal experiences related to my life as a Chilkat weaver as if I had known these people all my life!  (Like what is up with that!?)

Luckily, gracious Martine Reid reminded everyone that the Gallery was closing for the day else we probably would have had a slumber party staying up all night talking about art and spirituality, leaving out all business and politics.

In the next couple of days following my presentations, I received several emails from audience members who commented on how moved they were.  They mentioned being taken all over the board with humor, contemplation, wonderment, grief, satisfaction and inspiration.  The interesting thing was I was moved as well.  I hadn’t ever done a presentation where I felt a sense of comraderie with the audience, a sense of peace and excitement all at once, and I  carried on as if I were a talk-show host, in fact I even FELT like one – like that host Craig Ferguson!  I think I even imitated some of his gestures and stances!  I kid you not! –  There were also times where I was almost in tears as I spoke about various subject matters including my apprenticeship with Jennie Thlunaut, the stories behind the robes, and just being a full-time, self-employed artist living on the edge where most of us dwell, including recent major life-changing events happening all at once.

On the flight returning to Juneau, I was reflecting back upon all the folks I met over the past weekend.  I thought about my gracious hosts, Martine Reid, who is the widow of  the famed Haida artist Bill Reid, and her companion, Allan Badger, a retired Chemistry professor.  I thought about Megan Smetzer who had come to see my presentation; Megan, who was born and bred in Fairbanks, Alaska had done a presentation on octopus bags of the Northwest Coast at the Sitka Clan Conference back in 2007, which is where we first met.  I thought about some of the audience members who introduced themselves and talked a little about their lives.  I too wanted to spend more time with these folks.  It felt good to see Megan, spend some quality time with Martine and Alan, and meet all these people.  I wished that my family were in the audience.  I wished all my weaving students were there too.  I wished Jennie and all her Wolf Clan relatives were there too.  Reflecting back upon these things, I am reminded about how it has been a good experience to be a part of this big picture in the world of Chilkat.  When Jenny Thlunaut chose me to be her apprentice in 1986 just two months before she passed, I had no idea the life I would lead because of her choice combined with my choice of having accepted; I’ve had humbling experiences.  It’s been an honor.

I also thought about my actual presentations at the gallery; why was I so “on” and full of high energy?  I was flying high.  Why did I not demonstrate more weaving techniques to the audience; isn’t that what they really came for?   And how come I’ve neglected giving thought to presenting myself professionally:  the product, the presentation, even my own appearance (generally wearing black sweat pants the past 8 years!).

I’ve been doing this work for over 20 years; why haven’t I “gotten with the program” and been more professional.

Now, I’m getting to the point; it is very simple.

I’m passionate about all the aspects of Chilkat weaving – the spirituality, the design and its meaning, the culture, and the actual finished robe.  I’m passionate about sharing the information about this art form.  I’m passionate about others who are carrying on this tradition and those who are learning about it.  I’m passionate about teaching my students, and in turn they teach me.   I’m passionate about my life.  Those of us who live an artistic life will most likely understand what I am saying and relate!  So of course, my passion would show during my presentations regardless of whether or not I appear “professional!”  I’m not really passionate about APPEARING to be professional!  OMG, what a revelation!

Martine Reid, Co-curator of "Time Warp" exhibit and widow of the late Haida artist Bill Reid - Photo by Alan Badger

Alan Badger, a retired Chemist, and the woodworker for my Chilkat headboard he made to display my Chilkat robe for my presentation - photo by Martine Reid

Many thanks to Martine and Evelyn for all the work in producing this exhibit and inviting me to do a presentation, as well as including my daughter, Lily Hudson and I be a part of this exhibit with our collaborative piece, “Copper Child.”  Many thanks to Anthea Mallinson, a tapestry weaver from the Vancouver area, for loaning the Bill Reid Gallery the frame of her loom to host my Chilkat robe.  Many thanks to Alan Badger for making the headboard (strapped to Anthea’s loom) for me to display my Chilkat robe for this presentation, and also for posting some photographs of the presentation on Flickr.  Many thanks to the staff and volunteers at the Bill Reid Gallery.  And many thanks to all those who came out to this event and exhibit.

To view more images of my demonstration, and the opening of the fabulous Time Warp exhibit, visit the Bill Reid Flickr site at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/billreidgallery