Voices of our Ancestors: Lillian Pitt and Toma Villa at TEDxConcordiaUPortland

Lillian is a Pacific Northwest Native American artist whose ancestors lived in and near the Columbia River Gorge for over 10,000 years. Called simply the Big River or the Nch'i-Wana by her ancestors, the Columbia River was the backbone of one of the largest trade networks in all of Native America. Lillian's focus is on creating contemporary works of fine art that delight today's art lovers, and at the same time, honor the history and legends of her people. Primarily a sculptor and mixed media artist, Lillian's lifetime of works include artistic expressions in clay, bronze, wearable art, prints, and most recently, glass. Her works have been exhibited and reviewed throughout the Pacific Northwest, nationally and internationally, and she is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions. Toma, of the Yakama Nation, is a young artist who does murals throughout the Pacific Northwest, casts iron all over the world and is currently working with Lillian in the schools in the Columbia River Gorge as a teacher in art, the history of the Celilo Falls, salmon fishing and the Tribal culture. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)