MEETJAMES
My name is James Madison. I am an Artist from the Tulalip Tribes. I come from Snoqualmie, Snohomish, Skykomish, Duwamish, Skagit, Tlinget blood line. My people come from the Salish Sea all the way up to the Mountains. It is my goal to keep my culture alive and show that my people are not petrified. My sculptures will be educational and provide a historical stories from the area. I believe in the power of telling local stories through my art. Every job I undertake is site specific and connected to the environment, culture, and site. I believe sculptures should have no real ending or begining , it must flow like water.
MY CULTURE
I learned my culture and carving skills at my Grandfathers kitchen table when I was Five. My Dad and Grandfather would carve and tell family cultural stories and sat me down for the duration of the teachings. I was taught in an old traditional way. After high school I went to UW to learn European Art forms. I studied Picaso, Van Gogh, Dali, and wanted to add what they did to my cultural art. I like to make traditional Art pieces with a modern twist. In order to help keep my culture alive I needed to show my peoples art in different mediums so I learned many Mediums such as Bronze casting, Metal Fabrication, Blown Glass, Fused Glass, Stone work, Graphic Design etc…
