In March 2020, I began a project for my Master of Library and Information Science degree to inventory, research, and evaluate the artwork displayed in the UW Tacoma Library. I received support for this work from the Library because we knew that the Learning Commons building project would significantly change our spaces. One goal of the project was to create a framework for how to choose art that intentionally contributes to today’s student experience. 

I began with an inventory of each piece of art, including the artist, location, and history. Finding some of this information was tricky research, and one piece in particular guided the Library toward a better understanding of how the physical space of our library can welcome all students. 

The Record Keeper blanket has hung at the entrance of the Tioga Library Building since it was donated to the library in 2012. We knew that, ideally, our artwork would be created by artists representing their own culture, so I looked into the non-Indigenous Pendleton Company, which commissioned the design and manufactured the blanket. There is a complex relationship between Pendleton, Indigenous persons, and whether the company appropriates Indigenous culture. Further research into the designer surfaced more serious questions of appropriation and uncovered a surprise we could not ignore: The Record Keeper was designed by a man who pled guilty in 2015 to violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. The individual named in the lawsuit sold his work as Cherokee art and music even though he is not a registered member of a federally recognized tribe, and he used a fraudulent identification card in his business dealings. In light of this information, and as an outward act of our accountability to our students and the people whose land we occupy, we removed the blanket from display. 

The UW Tacoma Library has posted a land acknowledgement since 2019 that recognizes that our building and organization is on the land of the Puyallup people. We acknowledge that the display of this work in our space may have harmed students, faculty, or staff. We recognize that the appropriation of Indigenous culture by non-Native people is harmful and a painful reminder of the trauma, violence, and dispossession indigenous peoples have experienced through colonization. 

The UW Tacoma Library wants our policies, programs, and physical spaces to reflect our community. We are actively exploring ways to examine our own biases and act as an anti-racist organization. Removing this item from display was one logical step, even though our buildings are not open to the public right now. The next steps we take are important: we are establishing processes so that the artwork in our space creates a welcoming environment and reflects our institutional values and aspirations.

This post was written in consultation with Justin Wadland, Interim Director, UW Tacoma Library / Associate Dean, University Libraries, who contributed some wording.