Artwork copyright Tanis S'eiltin. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Artwork copyright Tanis S'eiltin. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

A Mother's Gift, 2001

Tanis S'eiltin
American Tlingit (born 1951)

Location: University of Washington, Seattle

About the Artwork

A Mother's Gift is a woodcut print created by artist Tanis S'eiltin in reference to the 1971 enactment of standards that required native Alaskans to prove they possess at least 1/4 aboriginal blood. S'eiltin notes "the ramifications of this act serve as a catalyst for questions concerning the social and cultural structure of a people."

This artwork is part of the Contemporary Native American Artwork Collection, on view at the University of Washington Gallagher Law Library. The collection was proposed by artist John Feodorov, who selected the eight represented artists for their rich and forward-thinking cultural expression. Speaking to the contemporary nature of this collection, Feodorov notes “since art, like law, is an ever evolving process, it cannot rely on nostalgia if it is to remain relevant.”

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with University of Washington.

About the Artist

Tanis S'eiltin creates artworks that explore her identity as a Tlingit (Native Alaskan) woman living in the 21st century. Combining traditional and contemporary artistic techniques, S'eiltin notes that her work "questions the misrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in Western academia, media, and in the minds of mainstream Americans."
S'eiltin earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1986 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in mixed media from the University of Arizona. She is a professor at Fairhaven College at Western Washington University and lives in Bellingham, Northwestern Washington.