Location: Olympia, WA

Square Feet: 2,000 SF

Project Keywords: Higher Education, Wood Carving

Project Description:
Opened in early 2019, this newly constructed carving studio is part of a one-of-a-kind Indigenous Arts Campus where the art-making facilities and master plan are based on Indigenous architectural design and cultural concepts. The Indigenous Arts Campus offers a series of spaces to foster vibrant, culturally interconnected artmaking for Indigenous peoples around the Pacific Rim, with particular emphasis on Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest.

The 2,200 square foot wood framed structure on The Evergreen State College campus accommodates academic instruction and tribally focused residencies. This building features exposed timber posts and cedar lap siding to refer to the historical building methods of local indigenous people. The building contains a variety of woodworking tools and equipment and is used to teach students a variety of wood carving skills and techniques that have been passed down for generations by indigenous tribes of the region.

The area around and including the Carving Studio is called Pay3q'ali in the southern Salish language, meaning "A place to carve". The KMB architects project team included Cynthia Iyall, past chair of the Nisqually Tribal Council who served as the Native American Culture Consultant.