An estimated 250 to 300 people on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation are artists—and with the grand reopening of an art shop on the reservation, those artists will have another place to share and sell their works.
Tananawit, the nonprofit organization aimed at supporting Warm Springs artists, will hold a grand reopening of its art shop this weekend, starting Friday, Sept. 2 and continuing through Sunday, Sept. 4. Up for sale will be a number of works of art from local artists, including painting, photography, jewelry and beadwork.
"Visitors to the reservation want to take home a piece of Warm Springs," said Deb Stacona, executive director of the Tananawit nonprofit. "Warm Springs is rich in cultivating artists. We have numerous master artists, and we want to support beginning artists, too." Stacona, who managed the gift shop at The Museum at Warm Springs for 20 years starting in 1999, and who became Tananawit's executive director this summer, said she's excited for this new opportunity to help local artists grow.
"We'll have outdoor displays, and our suite of about 500 square feet is packed with local art," Stacona said.
Tananawit's art shop is located at 3240 Walsey Lane, Suite #5 in Warm Springs. The shop was opened for a short time in early 2022 but quickly closed, according to a press release. With Stacona now at the helm of the nonprofit, along with the help of artist Sara Dowty—who's also the new business and outreach coordinator—the two hope to further Tananawit's mission of providing economic and educational opportunities for local people, and building knowledge of the traditional and contemporary Native arts of the Columbia River plateau.
Tananawit was formed in 2013, according to its website, when a group of about a dozen Warm Springs artists met to explore the idea of forming a cooperative. In 2015, the group began working with the Warm Springs Community Action Team and Oregon Native American Business Entrepreneurial Network to develop the idea, and in 2017 Tananawit became a nonprofit.
Artists interested in selling items at the Tananawit shop can contact [email protected] or [email protected] to set up a consignment account. The grand reopening of the shop takes place from 10am to 6pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and regular hours for the shop will be every day from 10am to 6pm. Learn more about Tananawit at warmspringsartists.org.
