Dufur School Unveils New Art Installation Celebrating Celilo
Pictured: Artwork by Andy Nichols features schools of fish swimming through the river grass.
Dufur School has unveiled a new art installation by local artists Andy Nichols and Jeff Stewart that beautifies the front entrance and honors the school’s familial connections to Celilo Village. The students and families of Celilo Village have been a part of the Dufur School District since Petersburg School closed in 1998. There are approximately 30-40 students from Celilo Village in attendance at Dufur School.
“The administration and School Board have worked hard to ensure that the students from the village have access to education, activities and other resources that are oftentimes significantly more challenging for them to access than other children in our district,” said Cynthia Kortge, Executive Director of Ranger Pride Education Foundation.
The art installation was partially paid for through funds from the Barbara Garner Endowment for the Arts. The installation heralds some of the final touches on Phase 1 of the school’s $8 million in improvements. Taxpayers passed a $4-million bond in 2018. And it was coupled with an Oregon School Capital Improvement Grant that matched the bonds funds with an additional $4 million.
“One of the main upgrades of this bond project was to create a new entrance that would create more space for concessions and activities while providing a more secure entry for our students,” said Kortge. “The School Board decided that we should pursue some ideas that would complete this space. We wanted to create something that would honor the river and fish that are central to the people of Celilo Village.
The art installation features wood carvings from Jeff Stewart and glass pieces by Andy Nichols.
The wooden waterfall carvings arc away from the wall like a waterfall curving away from a rockface. Expertly carved on the wooden waterfall are lively jumping fish on their perilous but beautiful journey upstream. At the top of the waterfall, four wooden salmon jump and greet each other. Representing the joy of having completed the long journey upstream.
Mounted on the top edge of the waterfall are two torch-shaped, upside-down chandelier seascapes filled with hand-blown glass fish by Andy Nichols. The diverse types of fish are meant to represent the diversity found in the school. While they are all fish you would find locally, they are of different species, representing the diversity of the school and the community and different ages, representing the life cycle of the salmon and our continuous journey through time.
Trophy cases and benches created by Sean Corbin sit around the buttresses and complete the project, but a few final touches, like staining the concrete buttresses which connect the art piece to the wall, still need to be finished.
Celebrating Celilo Culture at Dufur School
The art installation is going to be dedicated to a beloved tribal member* who passed away due to COVID-19.
“He was a tremendous asset to the school, helping the village families and students communicate more effectively and championing their needs.” said Kortge “He helped kids get to sports and other activities on his own time when they often had no other way to participate.”
The deceased’s children attend Dufur School and will see the art installation every day on their way into the school.
“All his children were involved in the development of this project,” said Dufur School Superintendent Jack Henderson. “They’ll get to see this art that is honoring him every day, like he’s still there with them. We really look forward to the dedication ceremony, when we can have the public in to view the art.”
*CCC News has redacted the name of the deceased to respect the wishes of family members who expressed a desire to adhere to Unwritten Tribal Law. In this specific Native American Tradition, unwritten tribal law concerning the passing of a loved one teaches that the photos of the deceased are to be put away and the names of deceased tribal members are not to be spoken until after the memorial held on the one year anniversary of passing. This is to help the spirit of the deceased make its journey to the spirit world. Speaking the name slows down and puts a pause on the deceased’s journey, according to the teaching. Instead of speaking the name of the deceased, tribal members may use a special word for referring to the deceased during this time. After the one-year anniversary, tribal members may put photos back up and speak the deceased’s name once more.
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