Creative Residencies on the Land
About the Project
Our collective hosts Creative Residencies on the land we caretake in South Seattle. Interdisciplinary Indigenous artists and thinkers are invited to complete a site-responsive project, followed by a public presentation.
Current Creative Residency Artist
Elise Bill-Gerrish
Elise Bill-Gerrish is a Muckleshoot Tribal Member and Muckleshoot Language Caretaker. She recently earned her Masters in Education from the University of Washington Tacoma where she focused on best practices for Native and Indigenous students. Elise is a committed advocate for healing Native pathways, traditional plant medicine & food systems, Southern Lushootseed revitalization, and Native education.
For her Creative Residency project, Elise is tapping into her artistic side to weave a series of wool skirts for several significant Native women in her life. She will also be writing an article to tell the story of this project and how it represents another strand of reclaiming culture in her life.Elise plans to weave a series of wool skirts to gift several significant Native women in her life. She will also write a corresponding scholarly article to help tell the story of why she is doing this, how it connects to her culture and the land, and reclaiming parts of identities that have been lost due to intergenerational trauma.
Previous Creative Residency Artists
About the Artist
Our inaugural artist in residence is Owen Oliver (Quinault / Isleta Pueblo). Owen comes from the people of the Lower Columbia River, Salish Sea, and Southwest Pueblos of Isleta. He has a bachelor’s in American Indian Studies from the University of Washington and is currently pursuing a MFA in Creative Writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Owen has been drawn to writing as an outlet for creative expression since high school. But now, is strengthening his craft as a process of understanding and sharing landscape-learned knowledge of the Pacific Northwest through lyrical essays, poetry, and urban design. He recently published the Indigenous Walking tour of UW.
Owen will be composing a hybrid essay that amplifies the yəhaw̓ land through Salish & Chinook knowledge systems, wellness, language, and historical context. The essay will hone on the infancy of the plot and the reimagined futures of what kinship with the land looks like in urban Seattle.