Edna Jackson is a Tlingit artist whose work encompasses handmade paper sculpture, collage, installation, and fiber arts. Drawing inspiration from Northwest Coast Indigenous design traditions, basketry, weaving techniques, and natural materials, she creates sculptural forms that investigate cultural identity, transformation, and the relationship between traditional and contemporary artistic practices.
Jackson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fiber Arts from Oregon State University in 1980 and a Master of Fine Arts in Fiber Arts from the University of Washington in 1983. Throughout her career she has been recognized as one of the Pacific Northwest’s leading Indigenous fiber and paper artists, pioneering the use of handmade paper as a sculptural medium informed by Indigenous aesthetics.
Her work has been exhibited extensively throughout the Pacific Northwest and nationally, including exhibitions at the Burke Museum, Seattle Art Museum, Whatcom Museum, the Museum of Northwest Art, and numerous university, tribal, and regional art venues. Jackson has participated in exhibitions highlighting contemporary Native American art, Indigenous innovation in fiber arts, and the evolving traditions of Northwest Coast Native artists.
Jackson's artwork is represented in public and institutional collections including the Washington State Art Collection, the Burke Museum, university collections, and private collections throughout the Pacific Northwest. In addition to her studio practice, she has completed public art commissions, educational residencies, workshops, and community-based cultural projects that promote Indigenous artistic traditions and contemporary Native creativity.
Through her innovative sculptural vessels and paper works, Jackson continues to expand the possibilities of Indigenous fiber arts while honoring the visual languages and cultural foundations of her Tlingit heritage.
Container (White) was acquired for the Washington State Art Collection in partnership with Western Washington University.
Container (White) is part of a series of sculptural vessel forms by Tlingit artist and papermaker Edna Jackson that reinterpret traditional Northwest Coast basketry and container traditions through contemporary materials and techniques. The bowl-like sculpture is constructed from handmade paper pulp and incorporates wood rods, beads, gold thread, and woven fishnet, reflecting Jackson’s longstanding exploration of the relationships between weaving, vessel making, and cultural memory. Through her innovative use of handmade paper, Jackson transforms familiar Indigenous forms into sculptural works that bridge traditional knowledge and contemporary artistic practice.
This artwork is part of Beyond Blue Mountains, a collection curated by the late Tlingit artist and educator Jim Schoppert. The collection brings together works by Native American artists representing diverse tribal affiliations, artistic approaches, and materials. Through painting, sculpture, printmaking, textiles, and mixed media, the collection highlights the unique voices of Indigenous artists and their individual interpretations of cultural traditions and contemporary experience.
Sources
- Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA), State Art Collection, Container (White) and Beyond Blue Mountains collection records.
- University of Washington School of Art + Art History + Design, alumni records.
- Oregon State University College of Liberal Arts, alumni information.
- Burke Museum, artist and exhibition records.
- Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA), exhibition archives.
- Whatcom Museum, exhibition archives.
- Beyond Blue Mountains: Native American Art from the Permanent Collection, curated by Jim Schoppert.
- Exhibition catalogs and regional Indigenous arts publications documenting contemporary Northwest Coast Native artists and papermaking practices.