Artwork copyright Carl Chew, Mare Blocker, Ron Hilbert Coy, and J.T. Stewart. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Carl Chew, Mare Blocker, Ron Hilbert Coy, and J.T. Stewart. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Carl Chew, Mare Blocker, Ron Hilbert Coy, and J.T. Stewart. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Colleen Chartier.

Artwork copyright Carl Chew, Mare Blocker, Ron Hilbert Coy, and J.T. Stewart. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Colleen Chartier.

Things the Crows Left, 1994

Carl Chew, Mare Blocker, Ron Hilbert Coy, and J.T. Stewart
(American, born 1948)

Location: University of Washington, Seattle

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Carl Chew collaborated with artists Mare Blocker, Ron Hilbert Coy and J.T. Stewart to create "Raven Brings Light to this House of Stories", a six-element artwork installed throughout the Allen Library. It is a contemporary re-telling of a Pacific Northwest Native American story. Each element of the artwork explores themes and symbols relating to collective knowledge.

This wall text reads "Raven Brings Light to this House of Stories" written in Lushootseed and English. Lushootseed is an ancestral Native American language that was spoken by many Salish tribes in the Puget Sound area of Western Washington.

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

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Carl Chew, Mare Blocker, Ron Hilbert Coy, and J.T. Stewart are collaborating artists. They worked together to create 'Raven Brings Light to This House of Stories,' an installation at the University of Washington's Allen Library, in Seattle.

Carl Chew creates narrative-based artworks in a variety of materials. He has worked for Seattle Public Schools as a K-12 teacher in science, art, and math. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Washington in Seattle.

Mare Blocker is an artist and professor who creates artists books and prints. Her works celebrate the book form as both a material object and a democratic tool. Born in Seattle, she studied at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Western Washington, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Idaho. She has taught at Whitman College, Pacific Lutheran University, and other institutions in Washington, Oregon, and Montana.

Ron Hilbert Coy (1943-2006) was a Tulalip master carver and a culture-bearer of his Coast Salish heritage. He studied at the University of Washington, Seattle Central College, The Brunley School, and Cornish School, all in Seattle. He also studied at Pembroke State University in North Carolina. He described his personal goals as enhancing "individual minds with my Peoples' way of life and culture. Having the ability to create on cedar and canvas will bring this to each individuals' own thoughts of what had happened in the past and is still being practiced today."

J.T. Stewart is a Seattle-based writer, poet, teacher, and editor. Proud of her African American heritage, Stewart works to connect arts education, theater, and the humanities. She has taught at Seattle Central College and served on advisory boards for local public broadcasting. She studied at Fisk University in Tennessee, Wellesley College in Massachusetts, and Fordham University in New York City.