One of the indigenous people of the Columbia River Gorge, Lillian Pitt is known as a great innovator within her tradition. She was the recipient of the Governor's Award of the Oregon Arts Commission in 1990, which declared that she had made, "significant contributions to the growth and development of the cultural life of Oregon. In 2005-6, The Oregon Historical Society honored her by headlining a retrospective of her lifework, "Building on the Frames of my Ancestors." The one-person show, which filled the entire bottom floor of the museum, included a spectrum of the media Lillian has mastered, including masks, totems, glass, statuary, and prints. Some of the pieces can be seen below, along with places where they can be viewed or purchased.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE INSTALLATION
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On the wall are anamagama masks of Shadow Stick Indians. For the installation,
they were mounted on the kind of cedar planks used in making traditional longhouses.
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A 6'x8' mixed media rendering of a traditional longhouse frame.
The original houses were overlaid by the stalks of the tule plant for insulation.
STATUES AND TOTEMS
 
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All available at Bonnie Kahn's Wild West Gallery
Right: Rendering in copper and mixed media of a salmon rattle, available at Northwest by Northwest
 
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Right: Honoring Our Salmon, 12' totem in Anagama, metal and wood; Warm Springs Museum
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Bonnie Kahn's and Northwest by Northwest
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Bonnie Kahn's and Northwest by Northwest.
WORKS INSPIRED BY COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE ARTIFACTS
In 2005, the Portland Art Museum mounted a highly significant exhibit of historic art and artifacts from Columbia River Gorge tribes, "People of the River." Moved by the exhibit, Lillian began to recreate some of these ancient designs in more modern media. Below are some examples, alongside photos of the original artifacts reproduced from People of the River, a commemorative book and catalogue, with permission of Bill Mercer, author of the book and curator of the exhibit.
 
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Left: An ancient anthropomorphic pendant from the People of the River Exhibit
Right: Lillian's rendering of that pendant in porcelain, 14"x8", Bonnie Kahn's Wild West Gallery.
 
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Left: An ancient adze, a tool, in elk antler and metal from the People of the River Exhibit
Right: "Ancient Coyote,"Lillian's rendering in porcelain, copper, and steel on cedar, showing at the Washington Museum of History, Tacoma, WA; contact artist.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBIT
 
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Left: Two totems on cedar planks: first, a Wasco Indian in anamgama and mixed media;
second: Old Spirit Traveling Down the Road, Private Collection
Right: Unglazed anagama mask of a Stick Indian, Bonnie Kahn's Wild West Gallery
 
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Left: A basket Lillian's grandmother used to gather huckleberries--once a plentiful PNW food source
Right: Lillian's one-of-a-kind rendering of that original basket in bronze
 
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Right: Rendering of a salmon drying rack in copper and mixed media, 9'x12"x5
TO SEE LILLIAN'S WORK IN PERSON: If you'd like to be notified of Lillian's gallery openings, museum shows, and other exhibits, click here and include your mailing address.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Lillian Pitt can be reached by email and through the galleries that feature her work, including:
The Bonnie Kahn Gallery, Portland, OR
Sunbird Art Gallery, Bend, OR
Jeffrey Moose Gallery, Seattle, WA
Images of the North, San Francisco, CA
Northwest by Northwest, Cannon Beach, OR
Gary Farmer Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
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