Artwork copyright Margaretha Bootsma. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Made the World, 1997

Margaretha Bootsma
(Canadian, born 1953, died 2011)

Location: Glenridge Elementary, Kent

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Artist Margaretha Bootsma created Made the World from materials and ideas collected during an artist residency in Northern British Columbia, Canada. The artwork is inspired by a First Nations creation story in which a muskrat forms a human from clay – but many other cultures have similar creation stories. Bootsma created the artwork out of symbolically rich materials that she found and collected, including poplar bark, clay, and scrap metal. The objects embody the places where they were found.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Kent School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Margaretha Bootsma (1953-2011) was an artist, curator, and educator. She created mixed media and found object artworks and installations. These constructions form a visual dialogue about material, history, and identity.

Bootsma was born in the Netherlands. She lived and worked mainly in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design in Vancouver. She also studied at the Instituto Allende in Mexico and at the Honolulu Academy of the Arts in Hawaii. Her teaching posts included Emily Carr College of Art and Design and the Vancouver Academy of Art.