Bus Shelter Mural Program Gallery - Spirit Journey
© 1993 Roger Fernandes, all rights reserved
Medium: Acrylic latex semi-gloss enamel with polyurethane clear-coat
Located at College Ave. N. & N. 97th St. in North Seattle
"Spirit Journey"
The images for this mural are drawn from the cultures of the Puget Salish Tribes of the Pacific Northwest Coast. These tribes are often overlooked in histories of the region and are seldom represented in public art collections. The art of these indigenous groups, such as the Duwamish, Snoqualmie, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot, differs considerably from the art of their neighbors to the north.
The six upper panels of the mural are based on housepost figures. They represent human, animal, and supernatural beings that were carved into the support posts of traditional cedar plankhouses. Often the images represented an aspect of the house owner’s life. They differ from the more familiar totem poles of the Tlingit or Haida in that they are more naturalistic and do not necessarily depict clan symbols.
The lower panels show my interpretation of the Duwamish/Snoqualmie Spirit Canoe Ceremony. This ceremony was conducted by a shaman who would create a spirit canoe to travel to the spirit world in order to recover the soul of a sick person. The red material bubbling up at nearby Licton Springs was a source of the red pigment used by shaman to paint the spirit panels.
The small paintings on the sides of the shelter are drawn from petro-glyphs created by the ancestors of the Puget Salish people. Petro-glyphs are images carved in rocks and boulders. These paintings show the Spirit Canoe Ceremony, salmon, and the spirits that influenced the lives of the artists.
The back side of the shelter shows a series of basket designs of male and female human figures. Basketry is an art form recognized for its use of traditional materials, such as cedar bark and roots. The basket designs utilize images from nature to create personal and family designs. The geometric "S" shaped pattern represents salmon gills.
Artist
Roger Fernandes is a Native American artist whose work focuses on the culture, ceremonies, and beliefs of the Puget Salish tribes. He is an enrolled member of the Lower Elwah S’Klallam Tribe.
Funding
The artwork in this bus shelter was commissioned in 1993 by the Metro 1% for Art Program. This commemoration of the county’s indigenous people was a Metro collaboration with the King County Arts Commission project known as Meeting of Cultures.
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