ABOUT THE ARTIST

 

Səʔ notsʔ tí. Hello, Welcome.

My name is Madison.

I am a twenty four year old Indigenous artist located on the central coast of Washington State. I am Shoalwater Bay, I descend from the "Federally Unrecognized" Chinook Nation, the lower Chehalis tribes, and the Nisqually Nation.

In 2019 I had made some mistakes that I thought I could never come back from. I lost all hope in myself. Sometime during this period, I prayed for the hope and the courage to push forward from that point, I prayed for something to believe in. My Chitchas came to mind and showed me something that I could never describe to you in any amount of words.

My main inspiration comes from the beauty of my family, I catch glimpses of their light every time I glance their way. My family is full of woodcarvers, beadwork artists, sewers, painters, jewelry artists, architects, skillful writers, mechanics, carpenters, mathemeticians, photographers, storytellers, engineers, gardeners, botanists, and more. We are fighters, we are resilient, we are equally important and make up a large unit that is self-sustaining, full of power, inspiration and love. 

My Great Chitcha Lorraine from my mother's side was a skillful beadwork artist, she left behind beautiful pieces of beadwork to seemingly random family members, including me. Why? I ponder it til this day. I was very young when she gifted me beadwork, and I was young when she passed on. I see her in my dreams often. 

My Chitcha Judith on my father's side was an amazing cook, gardener and pianist. She taught me how to take care of a garden. As she grew older my sister, my cousins and I would take care of her garden and her house for her. When I was 8, she had given me a lilac-colored Pacific Bleeding Heart to take home, she had told me that I could then start a garden of my own. She passed away very suddenly and I felt as if I had never truly gotten the chance to say goodbye. I grieved her absence for years, but I finally found the way to let her live on. 

Beading Hearts is a symbol of hope, unconditional love and reconciliation. It is something to believe in. 

I seek to define and redefine my place in this world forever. I hope that I will leave pieces of myself behind that are worth remembering, that I will inspire those who have felt like they were too different or misunderstood, and to display how the brightest of light can only be found in the darkest of places. With every nightfall that passes, we dream and we gain a new perspective. I just want to change your point of view.

Hiyu Masi. I cannot thank you enough for your support.