aicf

Celebrate Earth Day with the “Gift of the Earth” Blanket

/ pendletonwoolenmills / Leave a comment

Earth Day History

Sunday, April 22nd is Earth Day, 2018. It is a day to remember the beauty and fragility of the planet we call home.

The observance of Earth Day came from gathering national support for environmental issues. In 1970, San Francisco activist John McConnell and Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson both asked Americans to join in a grassroots demonstration in support of the planet.  Millions of people participated. Today, Earth Day is widely observed as a time to plant trees, clean up litter, and enjoy nature by getting out in it, through hiking, walking, gardening, or joining the many public observances held on April 22nd.

Gift of the Earth Blanket

This Earth Day, you can celebrate for a cause with theGIft of the Earth blanket:  Gift of the Earth

The Pendleton Gift of the Earth blanket for the College Fund.

Gift of the Earth features a bold design on a neutral backdrop is inspired by the traditional Hopi potters, who draw from generations of knowledge to create their beautiful, unique works of art. Their work, and this design, pay testament to the practice of learning from the past while moving into the future.

“Gift of the Earth” is part of a collection of blankets designed specifically for the American Indian College Fund, many of them designed by Native artists. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of College Fund blankets provides scholarships for Native students to attend tribal colleges and universities. The College Fund has been the nation’s largest philanthropic effort supporting Native American higher education for more than 25 years.

Learn More there: The College Fund

Shondina Lee styles a Gift of the Earth blanket wearing her family jewelry.

Photo courtesy of Shondian Lee:  Shondina Lee Yikasbaa

The weaving video

Watch the blanket take shape, from sheep to loom, in this video.

“Blessing Song” from the album Tribute to the Elders (CR-6318) by the Black Lodge Singers courtesy Canyon Records License 2017-023. All rights reserved.  www.CanyonRecords.com.

The future

The future depends on our careful stewardship of our planet. Those who come after us will live in the world we leave them. Let’s not let them down.

Photo of a wrapped newborn baby on a Gift of the Earth blanket, by @ryanchristopher929, used with permission

Photo by @ryanchristopher929, used with permission

Return of the Sun

/ pendletonwoolenmills / Leave a comment

Against the sunset, the words "return of the sun #giveaway"

It’s A Wrap

The Path of Totality has tracked across the United States, and the moment of total solar eclipse has passed. Millions of eclipse watchers were watching the skies of North American, which will not see another eclipse like this until April 8, 2024. We’re celebrating the return of the sun with an Instagram giveaway. Click here for details: INSTAGRAM

And if you win that giveaway? Consider treating yourself to a blanket that celebrates it:  Return of the Sun Blanket.

Return of the sun blanket

The traditions and activities of the Iñupiat, today, as in the past, revolve around the changing of the seasons. This blanket, inspired by the artwork of Larry Ahvakana, celebrates the arrival of the sun back to the Arctic and the start of hunting season. The Iñupiat mark this special time with the Messenger Feast—a ceremony where the spirits of the past season’s harvest are ushered back into the spirit world. Today, the celebration fosters cultural pride and the regeneration of traditional values. This blanket is a collaboration between Pendleton Woolen Mills and the American Indian College Fund to honor and reawaken a vital part of Native history.

Return of the Sun was designed for the American Indian College Fund Blanket Series by Alaskan artist Larry Ahvakana. Born in Fairbanks, Larry was raised in Point Barrow until the age of six, when his family moved to Anchorage. He left behind his grandparents, his native tongue, and many of the traditional cultural influences that had shaped his childhood. But these have re-emerged through his art, becoming the basis for his inspired work. He works in a variety of media, including stone, glass, bone, metal and wood. His masks bring tradition to life with mythic imagery in old-growth wood.

Courtesy-the-Blart-Musem-Alaskan artist Larry Ahvakana and one of his gorgeous wooden masks

mask image courtesy of the Blart Museum

Larry has been a working artist since 1972. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He also studied at the Cooper Union School of Art in New York. Larry is widely recognized as an educator, instructing over the years at the Institute of American Indian Art, heading the Sculpture Studio at the Visual Arts Center in Anchorage, Alaska, and founding a teaching studio for glass blowing in Barrow, Alaska. His works are included in a large number of major museums, corporate collections, private art collections and as public art commissions. You can learn more about his work here. And you can see all of the AICF blankets here. The sale of these blankets supports scholarships for Native American students.

As for the sun? Welcome back.

Return of the Sun blanket hanging on a wall

A New American Indian College Fund Blanket for 2017

/ pendletonwoolenmills / 1 Comment

Gift of the Earth

Pendleton is proud to unveil our blanket for The College Fund for 2017, Gift of the Earth. See it here: Gift of the Earth.

Gift of the Earth blanket by Pendleton

For over 20 years, Wieden+Kennedy, the American Indian College Fund, and Pendleton Woolen Mills have worked together to create this amazing line of blankets as a way to raise money and promote the need for higher education in Native American communities. Our newest blanket, Gift of the Earth, was designed by Patty Orlando. A bold design on a neutral backdrop is inspired by the traditional Hopi pottery of Arizona. Today, Hopi potters draw from generations of knowledge to create their beautiful, unique works of art. This design pays testament to this practice of learning from the past while moving into the future.

Shondina Lee Yikasbaa poses in traditional Dine clothing, family jewelry, and the Gift of the Earth blanket.

The College Fund Bankets

It joins a collection of blankets designed specifically for the American Indian College Fund, many of them designed by Native artists. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of College Fund blankets provides scholarships for Native students to attend tribal colleges and universities. The College Fund has been the nation’s largest philanthropic effort supporting Native American higher education for more than 25 years.

Shondina Lee Yikasbaa poses in traditional Dine clothing, family jewelry, and the Gift of the Earth blanket.

Today, slightly more than 13% of American Indians age 25 and older have a college degree, less than half the U.S. national average. What’s more, 40% of the American Indian population is under the age of 18.  The College Fund is helping more American Indians of college age to start and complete their college degree through scholarship support.  The College Fund also provides program support for students once they are in school to help them succeed both academically and in their careers.

Shondina Lee Yikasbaa poses in traditional Dine clothing, family jewelry, and the Gift of the Earth blanket.

“Pendleton is proud to be a part of the American Indian College Fund’s mission, and its purpose to transform Indian higher education,” said Mort Bishop, Pendleton President.  “By creating an awareness of the unique, community-based accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities and offering students access to knowledge, skills and cultural values, the College Fund enhances their communities and the country as a whole.”

Shondina Lee Yikasbaa poses in traditional Dine clothing, family jewelry, and the Gift of the Earth blanket.

About the American Indian College Fund

Founded in 1989, the American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for more than 25 years.  The College Fund has provided more than 100,000 scholarships since its inception and an average of 6,000 scholarships per year to American Indian students and a variety of programs to support their academic efforts ensuring they have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers.  The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators.  For more information, please visit www.collegefund.org.

To view the entire American Indian College Fund Collection, click here: The College Fund Blankets.

“Blessing Song” from the album Tribute to the Elders (CR-6318) by the Black Lodge Singers courtesy Canyon Records License 2017-023. All rights reserved.  www.CanyonRecords.com.

Photos courtesy of the always chic  Shondina Lee Yikasbaa

Shondina Lee Yikasbaa poses in traditional Dine clothing, family jewelry, and the Gift of the Earth blanket.

PWM_USA_label

BodyVox and Pendleton

/ pendletonwoolenmills / Leave a comment

Dance and innovation

BodyVox, the innovative Portland dance company, creates work that breaks boundaries in the most beautiful ways. From their website:

Breathtaking productions rich in imagery, athleticism and humor: Led by Emmy Award-winning choreographers Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland, BodyVox is known for its visual virtuosity, distinctive wit and unique ability to combine dance, theater and film into breathtaking productions rich in imagery, athleticism and humor. Since its founding in 1997, BodyVox has toured to critical acclaim on stages around the world, developed 9 award winning films, 30 original shows and 3 operas, featuring more than 200 original dances.

The Calendar

We were delighted to open our BodyVox 2017 calendar and find some beautiful shots featuring Pendleton. March takes flight with this image.

A dancer from the BodyVox company leaps in the air with a Pendleton Water blanket.

Photo courtesy BodyVox, used with permission

Of course, you all recognize the Original Board Shirt made famous by the Beach Boys. The blanket is the Water Blanket from our series that benefits the American Indian College Fund.

The Water Blanket

The Water blanket.

Inspired by a blanket in an early 20th-century photograph by Edward S. Curtis, this blanket is inspired by the peerless weaving of the American Southwest. It incorporates classic Navajo elements in an eye-dazzling pattern. The central dragonfly, an emblem of water, symbolizes life.

See it here: Water Blanket

Shirts & beanies

Later in the calendar, we found this gravity-defying hackysack game.

Two BodyVox dancers leap in the air surrounded by hackysacks.

Photo courtesy BodyVox, used with permission

More Information:

You can see The Original Board Shirt here: Board Shirt (original Blue Surf Plaid)

And see the Water blanket here: The College Fund Water Blanket

Education is the Answer: Pendleton and the AICF for #GivingTuesday

/ pendletonwoolenmills / 1 Comment

The College Fund

For #GivingTuesday, please consider a donation to the American Indian College Fund. The fund provides educational opportunities for Native American students and disburses 6,000 scholarships annually.

The effect of education is direct and longlasting. Currently, less than 1% of Native Americans attend college or any kind of higher education. We can help to change that.

We’ve been partnering with the AICF to produce and distribute blankets that directly contribute to their efforts to make a difference in native American communities through education.

You can make a direct donation here: DONATE

The Blankets

If you would like to give a gift that makes a difference, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each AICF Pendleton blankets goes to the fund. Here are some of the beautiful blankets.

Return of the Sun blanket

Return of the Sun

The traditions and activities of the Iñupiat, today, as in the past, revolve around the changing of the seasons. This blanket, inspired by the artwork of Larry Ahvakana, celebrates the arrival of the sun back to the Arctic and the start of hunting season. The Iñupiat mark this special time with the Messenger Feast—a ceremony where the spirits of the past season’s harvest are ushered back into the spirit world. Today, the celebration fosters cultural pride and the regeneration of traditional values.

Thunderbird and Whale child's blanket

Thunderbird and The Whale

The image on this baby blanket is inspired by the artwork of Larry Ahvakana and the Iñupiat legend of the Great Spirit Eagle. Legend states that there once was a massive thunderbird so large and powerful that it could hunt and carry a whale—the main source of sustenance for the Iñupiat. To honor the whale, the Iñupiat created the Messenger Feast. The ceremonial dancing and feasting prepares the community for the coming year and ensures the success of future generations. Return of the Sun and Thunderbird and the Whale are designed by Larry Ahvakhana, who is Inpiaq/Eskimo of Barrow and Point Hope, Alaska. He is an educator and leader in the Alaskan arts community, and founded a teaching studio for glass blowing in Barrow, Alaska.

Raven and the Box of Knowledge blanket

Raven and the Box of Knowledge

This intriguing blanket is based on a work by internationally renowned glass artist Preston Singletary. Mr. Singletary grew up in the Pacific Northwest – both of his great-grandparents were full-blooded Tlingit Indians. His works explore traditional images and legends of his Tlingit heritage translated into glass. The image on this blanket represents Raven, a shape shifter and trickster who often employed crafty schemes to achieve his goals. In the story, the old chief who lived at the head of the Nass River kept his precious treasures – the sun, the moon and the stars – in beautifully carved boxes. Raven steals the light, and making his escape carries the sun in his mouth. The sun is a metaphor for enlightenment or knowledge. The ombred background shades meet in the center in vibrant colors of sun and light. Mr. Singletary’s artworks are included in museum collections from the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC to the Handelsbanken in Stockholm, Sweden. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Seattle Art Museum.

  • Sons of the Sky
  • Daughters of the Earth

Sons of the Sky

Daughters of the Earth

“Ah-Day” means “special” in Kiowa, and this beautiful, intricate blanket is surely an unsurpassed gift for a special child. These blankets are produced exclusively for the American Indian College Fund by Pendleton Woolen Mills, and designed by artist Virginia Stroud. This blanket was inspired by a Plains Indian tradition according to which new parents place their child’s remaining navel cord inside an amulet shaped like a sand lizard. The amulets represent the sand lizard’s quick movements that will guard the spirit of the child and ensure a long, protected life. Virginia Stroud is an enrolled member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. She is based in Oklahoma. Her work is shown at numerous museums. In 2000, she was given the Cherokee Medal of Honor.

You can see all the AICF blankets here: AICF

Make a difference this #GivingTuesday

Pendleton and the College Fund -Blankets with a Cause

/ pendletonwoolenmills / Leave a comment

Working together for an important cause

Pendleton has been supporting the goals of the American Indian College Fund for years. To understand why this makes us so proud, please watch this video.

If this is a cause you can get behind, you might want to consider our AICF blankets for 2015 as a way to contribute. Both blankets were designed by Larry Ahvakana (Nupiaq/Eskimo) from Barrow and Point Hope, Alaska.

Larry Ahvakana

Born in Fairbanks, Larry was raised in Point Barrow until the age of six, when his family moved to Anchorage. He left behind his grandparents, his native tongue, and many of the traditional cultural influences that had shaped his childhood. But these have re-emerged through his art, becoming the basis for his inspired work.

Larry has been a working artist since 1972. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He also studied at the Cooper Union School of Art in New York. He works in a variety of media, including stone, glass, bone, metal and wood. His masks bring tradition to life with mythic imagery in old-growth wood.

Larry is also widely recognized as an educator. He has instructed at the Institute of American Indian Art. He headed the Sculpture Studio at the Visual Arts Center in Anchorage, Alaska, and founded a teaching studio for glass blowing in Barrow, Alaska. His works are included in a large number of major museums, corporate collections, private art collections and as public art commissions.

Thunderbird and Whale child's blanket by Pendleton

Thunderbird and Whale Crib Blanket

The image on this baby blanket is inspired by the artwork of Larry Ahvakana and the Iñupiat legend of the Great Spirit Eagle. Legend states that there once was a massive thunderbird so large and powerful that it could hunt and carry a whale—the main source of sustenance for the Iñupiat. To honor the whale, the Iñupiat created the Messenger Feast. The ceremonial dancing and feasting prepares the community for the coming year and ensures the success of future generations. This blanket is a collaboration between Pendleton Woolen Mills and the American Indian College Fund to honor and reawaken a vital part of Native history. A portion of the proceeds will help provide scholarships for students attending tribal colleges.This blanket is a collaboration between Pendleton Woolen Mills and the American Indian College Fund.

The Return of the Sun blanket for the College Fund, by Pendleton

The Return of the Sun Blanket

The traditions and activities of the Iñupiat, today, as in the past, revolve around the changing of the seasons. This blanket, inspired by the artwork of Larry Ahvakana, celebrates the arrival of the sun back to the Arctic and the start of hunting season. The Iñupiat mark this special time with the Messenger Feast—a ceremony where the spirits of the past season’s harvest are ushered back into the spirit world. Today, the celebration fosters cultural pride and the regeneration of traditional values. This blanket is a collaboration between Pendleton Woolen Mills and the American Indian College Fund to honor and reawaken a vital part of Native history.

PWM_USA_label with eagle