Lummi carver Felix Solomon to speak on campus Jan. 15

Lummi Nation carver Felix Solomon will speak at Western Washington University at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, in the first of a lecture series being put on by the WWU Art Department.

A member of the Lummi Nation tribe and of Haida descent, Felix Solomon taught himself the technique of creating the bentwood box, a lost native art specific to the Pacific Northwest coastal region. In addition to crafting bentwood boxes, Solomon carves traditional Coast Salish masks and canoes.

The Contemporary Artists of the Pacific Northwest Coast lecture series brings four wonderful artists to campus to discuss historical and contemporary Northwest artistic practices. It complements the course "Indigenous Arts of the Pacific Northwest Coast," taught this term by Julia Sapin, an art historian in the Art Department.

The speakers and dates and times for the talks are:

• Thursday, Jan. 15, 5:30 pm: Felix Solomon, “Carving Tools and Techniques”
• Wednesday Jan. 21, 4:30 pm: James Madison, “Generations”
• Thursday, Feb. 19, 5:30pm: Melonie Ancheta, “Ancient Color”
• Wednesday, March 4, 4:30 pm: Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, “what if there is no plan”

All events will take place in Miller Hall 138. These events are all free and open to the public.
For more information or for disability accommodations, please contact Julia Sapin, 360-650-3670.