#mariewatt

Artwork Installation at the Tacoma Art Museum Photo from: Marie Watt studio

Marie Watt is an American artist. She was born and raised in Seattle, and holds an MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University. Watt describes herself as “half Cowboy and half Indian” due to her family background, that her mother is from the Seneca Nation and her father’s family were Wyoming ranchers.

“Watt believes that blankets provide access to social connections, historical traditions, and cross-cultural meanings.” - Rock Hushka, Chief Curator, Tacoma Art Museum

The blanket project is one of her well-known works, and which is inspired by the tradition of her tribe. Watt is an enrolled member of the Seneca Nation of Indians. In her tribe, blankets are given away to honor those who are witness to important life events. Seeing blankets as mediums of personal histories, memories, and stories, Watt collected various blankets from people and encouraged people to share their stories and write down on the tags.

Blanket’s tag with the provenance and story Photo from: Denver Art Museum

Marie Watt was an artist-in-residence at the Denver Art Museum in 2013. During her residency with the museum, Watt created a blanket project with the Denver community. She worked with the museum to collect blankets donated by the community. They received many blankets and quilts from an army blanket to a 30-year-old quilt. Each blanket had its special tag that told its provenance and the story. Watt piled these blankets up and displayed at the museum as a permanent exhibition. Though it is not on display due to the current reconstruction of the museum, it would be displayed in the future.

Blanket Story: Confluence, Heirloom, and Tenth Mountain Division Photo from Denver Art Museum

Click the link to see more blankets and their stories on Marie Watt studio’s website.