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, 2016.

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

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

There's Picture Perfect and Then There's the Red Leader, 2001

Gail Tremblay
(American, born 1945, died 2023)

Location: University of Washington, Seattle

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

There's Picture Perfect and Then There's the Red Leader is part of a series of "film baskets" woven by non-Native artist Gail Tremblay. She weaves the recycled 35mm movie film using traditional Native American basketry techniques such as fancy stitch patterns for ash splint and sweetgrass baskets. Making the baskets out of recycled movie film is important and layered in meaning because the Hollywood movie has historically been used to stereotype Native Americans. It also playfully gives a different context to the material. The artwork title is based on the title of the actual movie on the film. There's Picture Perfect and Then There's the Red Leader is made from the trailer for the movie "Picture Perfect" and the red leader film.

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

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.