Artwork copyright Andy Wilbur-Peterson. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Everything Time Studio, 2021.

Artwork copyright Andy Wilbur-Peterson. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Everything Time Studio, 2021.

Dragonfly and Frog Panel, 2021

Andy Wilbur-Peterson
American Skokomish

Location: North Hill Elementary, Des Moines

About the Artwork

Dragonfly and Frog Panel is a carved and painted wood panel by Skokomish artist Andy Wilbur-Peterson. In Coast Salish stories, the little frog symbolizes prosperity and has an important role: it sings to announce the beginning of Spring and the new year, a new cycle of preparation for the next winter. When a frog is shown with its tongue touching another creature, it represents the sharing of knowledge and power. The dragonfly symbolizes motion and change in life.

Frogs are also an indicator species of an ecosystem’s overall health. The state of Washington has ten indigenous species of frog.

This artwork is part of a curated collection by Asia Tail for North Hill Elementary, in Des Moines, Western Washington, in July 2021. The local art selection committee wanted art that reflects their diversity, their values as a sustainable green school, and the 5th grade experience of growth, togetherness, and transitions. The artworks show us that everything is connected. Asia Tail notes “Just as people shape the land, the land shapes us. How we treat our plant and animal relatives matters now and for all the generations that come next.”

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

About the Artist

Andy Wilbur-Peterson (Skokomish) creates carvings and other artworks in the Salish tradition of the Pacific Northwest. He works in many different mediums, such as basketry, printmaking, glass, wool weaving, graphic art, and carving.

Wilbur-Peterson was born in Shelton, Western Washington, to Skokomish members Arlene Peterson and Dennis Allen. He was raised on the Skokomish Reservation and is a member of the Skokomish Tribe for over seventy years. At the age of twelve, he was taking commissions for his bead work. As a teenager, he helped gather materials with well-known basket makers, Louisa Pulsifer and Emily Miller. This experience, and a museum tour of Northwest Coast art, inspired him to explore art in its various forms. In 1987, Wilbur-Peterson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Native American studies from The Evergreen State College in Olympia. While there, he worked with Makah artist Greg Colfax on a 12-foot-tall female Welcome Figure for the college. This prompted his interest in researching Coast Salish design and carving, as well as pieces made by his great-grandfather, Henry Allen. He has taught both carving and painting classes over the years to people of all ages, through various tribes and local schools.