Wrangell’s district art and social emotional learning teacher at Evergreen Elementary, Tawney Crowley, was helping students make clothes.
But these clothes aren’t for every day. They’re made from temporary materials for last month’s Title One Wearable Art Show, to represent Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian culture. The kindergarten through fifth graders spent a month studying and learning about regalia while developing their textile artistic skills.
She and some of her students presented their wearable art to the school board a few days after the show.
“Each piece tells a story about its artists, but also about the cultural items which served as inspiration for each student’s project,” Crowley said. “So for example, Mrs. Clark brought in her daughter’s octopus bags for the students to view up close, and Miss Davies also brought in her cedar hat for the fifth graders to look at up close.”
Crowley said the show was a huge success with 123 people in attendance. A high school class also visited the budding fashionistas before the art show.
“We also invited community members if they would like to to wear their own personal regalia,” she said. “We did have some students up there, including Leeya, who wore her own personal regalia and held her project. So that was really cool to get to see those up close as well.”
At the school board meeting, Crowley pointed to some of the wearable art hung up on the wall and introduced some of her students wearing their creations. First grader Claire Hudson wore her Chilkat blanket.
“Claire is modeling the Chilkat blanket that first grade made by weaving butcher paper,” Crowley said. “We tried to make these mock Chilkat blankets, which are some of the most difficult blankets that can be made. She was so courageous to come down here and model it for you guys.”
Fifth grader Haley Gablehouse shows the board her paper mache cedar hat.
“If you want to do the paper mache, you have to work quickly, or paper mache won’t stick,” Gablehouse said.
She said her favorite part of the project was painting it so it looks woven. She said that when the class was learning about formline art, she recognized some artwork from postcards at Wrangell’s Nolan Center, which intrigued her.
After Gablehouse, third grader Leeya Gillen showed the board her paper felt vest. She said something new for her was learning how to sew the shoulders of the vest together.
“I chose the giving hand [crest on vest] because I like being kind and nice to other people, and I want people to see see that crest on my back,” Gillen said.
Fourth grader Jessica Schlotzhauer made a Raven’s Tail apron.
“My favorite part was when we painted,” she said. I also really liked the tassels because they added something different. The most difficult part was also the painting, because the lines were very close together. I also learned that Raven’s Tail is very old.”
She said the apron is not to be worn for cooking. Instead, it’s for dancing.
Not all the students who made wearable art presented to the school board, but board members thanked those who did. Crowley is unsure if the wearable art show will be an annual event, but she hopes it will. She said representing Native culture has been a developing goal over the last few years for her and other teachers. She said Tlingit and Haida Head Start collaborated on the art show as well.
