June 2-August 6, 2025 in the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center
Chestina Dominguez and Bernadine Mardel met in 2020 when Dominguez taught a Wa’paas basket weaving workshop on Zoom during the pandemic. Dominguez, an enrolled member of the 14 Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, learned to weave from her kuthla, or grandmother, but didn’t practice the traditional art until adulthood. Now, she’s teaching what she learned to others. “Weaving teaches you patience and perseverance and all those little things, to be mindful,” Dominguez said in an interview with Northwest Public Broadcasting in a 2024 article.
Bernadine Mardel (Yakama) was one of those who began weaving with Dominguez in 2020. She began visiting Maryhill Museum of Art monthly when Dominguez’s workshop moved into an in-person format there in 2023. A quick learner, her skilled weaving using contemporary materials include detailed miniature baskets woven with embroidery thread as well as larger works. Deb Haaland, who served as the 54th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2021 to 2025, received one of Bernadine’s baskets when she visited the Yakama Reservation in 2024.