Lillian Pitt facts for kids

Lillian Pitt (born 1944) is a talented Native American artist. She comes from the Columbia River Plateau region in the Pacific Northwest. Her Native American name is Wak'amu, which means "camas root." She chose this name because it represents a "stubborn plant that won't let go of the earth." This refers to how she spent many hours exploring the hills as a child. Pitt is famous for her sculptures and mixed media art. Her work often shows the 12,000-year history and traditions of Native Americans in the Columbia River area.

Early Life and Learning

Pitt is part Wasco and Yakama. She was born and grew up on the Warm Springs Reservation in 1944. After finishing Madras High School, she moved to Portland, Oregon, in the early 1960s.

In 1981, she started taking art classes at Mount Hood Community College. She began designing ceramic masks because of a back problem. Some artists who inspired her early work include R.C. Gorman, a sculptor and painter from the Navajo Nation. She was also influenced by Japanese mask-making and ceramic styles like Raku and Anagama.

Artistic Career

Columbia River Art and History

Lillian Pitt is well-known for her special way of creating art, called iconography. She works to find and understand ancient petroglyphs (rock carvings) from the Columbia River. By doing this, she helps show the long history of Indigenous people in the region.

Pitt is very good at bringing these old images to life again. In the 1990s, she tried working with different materials. These included precious metals for jewelry, bronze for masks, and larger sculptures. She also worked with the Pendleton Woolen Mills. Together, they created blankets that tell stories and show petroglyphs from the Columbia River.

In 2000, the Army Corps of Engineers asked her to create bronze plaques. These plaques showed petroglyph images for tribal fishing spots along the Columbia River. These sites had been covered by water because of a dam. In the same year, she received an award from Portland's Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center. This award helped her create large bronze sculptures.

In the early 2000s, she also started several public art projects. She worked with other artists like Rick Bartow (Wiyot), Gail Tremblay (Onondaga/Mi'kmaq), and Elizabeth Woody. Elizabeth Woody (Navajo/Warm Springs/Wasco/Yakama) is also Pitt's niece.

Pitt is an important partner in the Confluence Project. This project brings together Pacific Northwest tribes and stretches 450 miles along the Columbia River. Famous artist Maya Lin and other groups also took part. Pitt designed a "Welcome Gate" for the river side of a land bridge. This gate has oars with glass masks inside them, honoring Chinook women.