Marie Watt

Biography

Marie Watt is an American artist and a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians. Her work draws from history, biography, Iroquois protofeminism, and Indigenous principles. Blankets, one of her primary materials, are everyday objects that can carry extraordinary histories of use. In her tribe and other Indigenous communities, blankets are given away to honor those who are witness to important life events. In working with blankets, her process is both solitary and collaborative. Larger works are made in community, notably in “sewing circles,” public events by which anyone with time and interest can participate, and in which the fellowship and storytelling around the table can be more important than the resulting object. She uses materials that are conceptually attached to narrative: in particular, exploring the stories and histories connected with commonplace woolen blankets, cedar, and iron.


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