Vicki Lee Soboleff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vicki Lee Soboleff
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| Born | 1962 Seattle, WA
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| Nationality | Haida; Tlingit |
| Style | Basketry |
Vicki Lee Soboleff (born 1962) is a talented artist, dancer, and teacher. She is from the Haida and Tlingit Native American groups. Vicki is especially known for her beautiful Haida basket weaving. In 2016, she won the Margaret Nick Cooke Award for her important work with Alaska Native dance.
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About Vicki Lee Soboleff
Vicki Soboleff was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1962. She grew up in Ketchikan, Alaska. Her grandmother, Vesta Johnson, raised her. Vicki is part of the Brown Bear House of the Haida Nation. From the age of 11, her grandmother, along with Nora and Robert Cogo, taught her many Haida traditions. These included songs, dances, and the Haida language.
Vicki's Artistic Journey
Vicki Soboleff learned many different Haida crafts. She learned how to weave baskets from skilled artists like Selina Peratrovich, Delores Churchill, and Janice Criswell. She also learned to make moccasins (soft shoes) from Julia Fawcett. Beatrice Starkweather taught her how to do beadwork. Vicki also worked with Cheryl Samuel and Kay Parker on Ravenstail weaving, which is a special type of weaving.
Creative Cedar Masks
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vicki created unique face masks woven from cedar wood. She shared that she wanted to make a mask because many people were sewing them. Since she was good at weaving cedar, the idea for a cedar mask came to her. She quickly gathered her supplies and made her first cedar mask.
Leading Dance Groups
When Vicki was in her 20s, she joined the Eagle/Raven dancers in 1985. The next year, in 1986, she started her own dance group called the Yun Shu Kaa dancers. In 1995, she created a youth dance group in Juneau, AK. This group was named Lda Kut Naaz Sati Yatx'i, which means "All Nations Children" in the Tlingit language. By 2019, this group had grown to over 100 members! In August 2015, Vicki passed the leadership of the group to Barbara Dude and became an advisor. After moving to Washington in July 2017, she helped start another youth dance group in 2018. This group, X̲aat'áay 'Wáadluwaan G̲aagáay, also means "All Nations Children," but in the Haida language.
Community Roles
Besides her art and dance, Vicki Soboleff also works as a grant manager for the Tulalip Tribes of Washington. She is also a board member for the Sealaska Corporation and the Haida Corporation.
Notable Artworks
In 2020, a woven cedar mask made by Vicki Soboleff was shown in an art exhibition. This mask was called Just Ovoid It. In April of that year, it was chosen to be featured at the Renwick Gallery inside the Smithsonian American Art Museum. For this special exhibit, the artwork was renamed the Yellow Cedar Face Mask. It was described as being made with yellow cedar for the main parts and braided sinew (a strong fiber) to hold it together.
Awards and Recognitions
Vicki Soboleff has received several important awards for her work.
- In 2016, she received the Margaret Nick Cooke Award. This award is given to people who help promote Alaska Native languages and arts.
- Her cedar mask was featured in a big exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Renwick Gallery. This exhibit, called This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, celebrated the gallery's 50th anniversary from 2022 to 2023.
- In April 2019, she was given the President's Everyday Hero Award from the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
Where to See Her Work
Vicki Lee Soboleff's artwork is part of important museum collections:
- Smithsonian American Art Museum: Yellow Cedar Face Mask
- National Museum of the American Indian: Face Mask
