Jackie Crane is an enrolled member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and also descends from the Chinook Indian Nation. She recently earned her Master of Architecture degree from the University of Washington, focusing on Sustainable Systems and Design. Jackie’s work spans digital design, model making, ceramics, 3D printing, laser cutting, and more, blending traditional Indigenous building practices with contemporary architecture.
With a passion for revitalizing Indigenous methods, Jackie explores ways to work with cedar (“catáwiʔ”) through weaving, carving, and architecture. Her residency project involves designing and building a longhouse-inspired outdoor pavilion on the yəhaw̓ land, merging ancestral forms like the Chinook plankhouse with modern precedents and sustainable materials.
The goals of this project are to create a space for gathering, storytelling, and cultural connection, all in honor of the past while building the future.
Follow Jackie at @jackiedcrane, and stay tuned for her work on the land!
For my creative residency, I will be designing and building a small longhouse-inspired outdoor pavilion structure nestled in the trees on the yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives Collective’s land. The form is inspired by a traditional Chinookan plank house, which features a gable roof, a round ridge beam, and wide posts. Along with traditional longhouses, multiple modern longhouse precedents— including the wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House at the University of Washington, the s'gʷi gʷi ʔ altxʷ House of Welcome at Evergreen State College, and the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center—inspired the form and joinery of the project. The primary material for the structure is Western red cedar, a traditional material among the Coast Salish and other Northwest tribes. The placement on site was chosen due to its proximity to the future sweat lodge and the ability to store wood for both the sweat lodge and a fire pit. My design intent was to foster a connection between two structures that traditionally include fire - a fire to heat the stones for the sweat lodge and fire within a plankhouse as a central gathering place and a way to keep people warm. The name “Story House” was inspired by the idea of gathering and storytelling around a fire, passing knowledge to others in a cozy and culturally relevant space. This calls back to traditional plankhouses as places where business, as well as cultural and educational events are held.