Native Art Sales & Exhibitions
Art Sales
The Longhouse hosts three annual Native art sales opportunities throughout the year. Please complete the vendor application form if you would like to become a vendor at either one of our art fairs. The vendor application form for In the Spirit for 2009 will be posted as soon as it is available.
- Longhouse Holiday Native Arts Fair: At the beginning of each December, up to 30 Native artists and vendors participate in the Holiday Native arts fair at the Longhouse. Many Evergreen students, staff members and Olympia community members do their holiday shopping at this event. The Longhouse has a kitchen, which is available for a food service vendor. Please contact Laura Grabhorn with any inquiries about the Holiday Native Arts Fair at (360) 867-643 or grabhorl@evergreen.edu.
- Super Saturday Native Arts Fair: Super Saturday is Evergreen’s graduation celebration and is the State of Washington’s largest one day festival. Up to 30 vendors and artists participate at this event, which takes place at the Longhouse the Saturday after graduation each June. There is also an opportunity for a food vendor at this event. Please contact Laura Grabhorn for more information at (360) 867-6413 or grabhorl@evergreen.edu.
- In the Spirit Northwest Native Arts Market and Festival: A partnership between the Longhouse and the Washington State History Museum, the In the Spirit festival combines a juried art exhibit, outdoor Native arts market and performing arts stage in downtown Tacoma for a weekend during the summer. Any interested vendors should contact Melissa Parr at the Washington State Historical Society at (360) 586-0169 or mparr@wshs.wa.gov.
Exhibitions
The Longhouse hosts a variety of exhibitions throughout the year, both at the Longhouse and in The Evergreen State College Galleries.
The Longhouse has a small exhibit space in the Welcome Hall. Usually, art created by Longhouse artists in residence, Native artists and students are displayed. If you are interested in exhibiting your work in the Longhouse, contact Melissa Bob at bobm@evergreen.edu or (360) 867-5367.
- Each spring, Hazel Pete Institute and Longhouse sponsor a day long event for Native youth called Generations Rising. Generations Rising is focused on Native youth up to the age of 21. Art created on site is exhibited as well as artwork participants previously created. Various arts and crafts workshops take place all day. The day ends with an awards ceremony and dinner.
- The Longhouse partners with the Washington State History Museum for In the Spirit Native Arts Market and Festival, which takes place each summer. A juried art exhibit at the Washington State History Museum accompanies the market and festival, showcasing a wide range of Native artists and art forms. In the Spirit is a celebration of how today’s Native art blends time-honored traditions with modern sensibilities. The prize categories include: Best in Show, Second Place, Third Place, the Legacy Gallery Print Prize, People’s Choice (First Place), People’s Choice (Honorable Mention) and the Washington State Historical Society Purchase Prize.
- In 2002 the Longhouse sponsored a traveling exhibit titled Hitéemlkiliiksix: Within the Circle of the Rim, Nations Gathering on Common Ground. This exhibit showcased work by artists that participated in the first U.S.-based Gathering of Indigenous Visual Artists of the Pacific Rim. The Longhouse hosted this event in 2001. 77 indigenous artists representing 38 different tribal nations along the Pacific Rim created work in the areas of carving, weaving, printmaking, pottery and painting. The exhibit traveled throughout the United States and was featured at the Rotorua Museum in New Zealand.