Artwork copyright Hazel Pete. Photo courtesy of the artist, 1985.
Artwork copyright Hazel Pete. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2021.
Artwork copyright Hazel Pete. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2021.
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Artwork copyright Hazel Pete. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2021.
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Artwork copyright Hazel Pete. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2021.
Storage Basket, 1974
Hazel Pete
American Chehalis (born 1915, died 2003)
Location: Pioneer Elementary School, Shelton
About the Artwork
Chehalis Tribal elder and master basket maker Hazel Pete created this Storage Basket using a traditional weaving technique featuring cedar bark, beargrass, and cattail. Pete learned to weave baskets from her grandmother at age 5, and she noted "my great grandmother was a basket maker specialist. She made baskets from first light of day until evening. Her mother made the utility baskets used in the home...My daughters and grandchildren are the sixth and seventh generation of basket makers in our family."
This artwork is part of Beyond Blue Mountains, a collection that was curated by late Tlingit (Native Alaskan) artist Jim Schoppert. It presents the work of Native American artists of diverse heritage, ideas, materials, and styles. The collection takes an in-depth look at the artists’ unique voices and interpretations of tradition.
This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Pioneer School District.
About the Artist
Native American artist Hazel Pete (Chehalis, 1915-2003) was a fifth-generation basketweaver of Chehalis heritage. She first learned how to weave baskets at age 5 by watching her grandmother. In her late teens, she studied art at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She went on to teach “American Indian arts and crafts” at schools through the Bureau of Indian Affairs system. Pete’s life’s work was teaching and keeping knowledge of basket making alive, including how to collect the materials and process them. She wove every day, making two baskets a day into her eighties.Hazel Pete later went on to earn a bachelor's degree in education and Native American studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Western Washington, and a master's degree in education from the University of Washington in Seattle when she was in her sixties.
Pete was named a "Master Artist" in 1994 by the Washington State Arts Commission Folk Arts Program. She was honored with a Washington State Governor's Heritage Award in 2001.
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