Saturday Free Family Workshops - Cameron Decker

The Story of Parfleche

Artist and educator Cameron Decker—proud member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation and a Salish descendant—will lead art-making based on DG House’s paintings. To show respect for the land on which she works, House incorporates geometric designs and colors inspired by parfleche from Crow, Salish, and Blackfeet Nations. Decker will demonstrate how to build an original parfleche using raw hide and students will create their own parfleche using paper, ink, and the printmaking press. Decker originally learned to make parfleche from Blackfeet artist and elder, Jay Laber (Amskapi Pikuni/Blackfeet).

Image: designs drawn from parfleche border shown in detail of DG House, Near Medicine Roots, 2022, mixed media on panels, courtesy the artist.