Artwork copyright Gail Tremblay. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Artwork copyright Gail Tremblay. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Artwork copyright Gail Tremblay. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017 (detail).

Artwork copyright Gail Tremblay. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Waiting for the Return: 5 Fish Traps, 2002

Gail Tremblay
(American, born 1945, died 2023)

Location: University of Washington, Seattle

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Waiting for the Return: 5 Fish Traps were woven by non-Native artist Gail Tremblay as an exploration of traditional Indigenous fishing practices. The art installation is also a celebration of the beauty found in functional objects. She explains, “In 1993, I made my first fish trap... While working on the piece, I fell in love with the form of traditionally woven fish traps. I love the shadows these traps can make against a wall when they are lit, and the way a simple object of traditional technology can be so expressive and beautiful as form. This series of traps is made in honor of the return of salmon to the rivers to feed the people.”

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

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Gail Tremblay (1945-2023) was a non-Native artist and writer. She created multimedia artworks, installations, critical writing, and poetry. Tremblay was also an influential teacher and advocated for diversity and gender equality in the world of art and academia. She was honored with a Washington State Governor's Arts and Heritage Award in 2001.

Tremblay grew up in Buffalo, New York. She earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Oregon (1969) and a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from the University of New Hampshire (1967). She was a professor at The Evergreen State College in Olympia from 1980 to 2016, teaching English, Native American Studies, Art, and Art History. Her writing, poetry, and visual artwork have been included in numerous anthologies and exhibitions concerning feminism, gender roles, and the Native American experience. Many museums and collections hold Tremblay's artworks.

For approximately forty years, Tremblay claimed the lineage of the Onondaga, Mi’kmaq, and Mohawk (St. Regis) Nations. Before her death, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board began an investigation into her claims. With the support of the Nations noted, as well as genealogical research, they determined that Tremblay was not Indigenous.