Undergraduates at The Evergreen State College (Evergreen) can design or customize an interdisciplinary degree path from an extensive list of immersive learning opportunities. Along the way, they’re supported by diverse faculty and an array of creativity-boosting labs and studios to develop hands-on experience in their field of study.
Recently, a group of nearly 30 students began studying art and geography. Focusing on the work of Native weavers and cartographers, they’re researching the importance of place and territory across the Salish Sea in Washington and British Columbia. Their findings are being turned into multimedia podcasts showcasing the people, traditions and skills of Pacific Northwest Native nations.
Student-Driven Multimedia Podcast Showcases Northwest Native art and Mapmaking
Dr. Susan Pavel pitched the idea for this class to Seattle’s Burke Museum back in 2019. Planning meetings and relationship-building with the Coast Salish Wool Weaving Center began in 2021.
On Evergreen’s campus, Pavel is collaborating with Dr. Zoltan Grossman. In 2009, Grossman created podcasts with The Evergreen State College both about and for the Nisqually Watershed. Both professors are helping incorporate the audio interviews, art, maps and other student work into multimedia publications which will be available in spring quarter 2026.
Curated coursework explores the strong connection between native tribal communities and place, explains Pavel. Students start by learning about the longstanding geographies and worldviews of Pacific Northwest Native nations, historical wool weaving and cartography. Class sessions cover Coast Salish art techniques, tribal sovereignty and treaty rights, traditional land use, environmental justice, sacred site protection, climate resilience and ecological and cultural regeneration.
Evergreen Students Build Community Partnerships with Museums and Local Tribes
“Our fall program was called ‘Art and Place: Pacific Northwest Native Weaving and Geographies,’ but our winter-spring program name is slightly different: ‘Art and Place: Native Weaving and Mapping in the Pacific Northwest,’” Grossman explains. “Susan is now working with 24 students on wool weaving projects, and I’m working with 20 students on cartography projects like creating maps mostly pertaining to the exhibit and the artists’ homelands.”
Students travel off-campus and interact with the nearby Nisqually tribe, visit Seattle’s Burke Museum and spend three days on the Olympic Peninsula visiting the Quinault, Quileute and Makah nations. The photos, interviews and experiences from these trips will be blended into 10-minute multimedia podcasts to be posted on the Coast Salish Wool Weaving Center’s website in Spring 2026.
Recordings Preserve the Work and Stories of Past and Present for Future Generations
One recent field trip brought students into the woods of Flaming Geyser State Park near Auburn. A traditional gathering place of natural materials used in medicine, fabric dyeing, food, tea and daily tribal life, they learned from Gail White Eagle of the Muckleshoot Indian tribe and member of the Weaving Center’s executive board.
Another trip, for example, was to the “Woven in Wool: Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving” exhibit at the Burke Museum. Running from September 13, 2025, through August 30, 2026, it showcases the seasonal cycle of weaving and includes some of Pavel’s own creations.
It’s this type of immersive learning that makes The Evergreen State College unique. “The rigor of the work is graduate level but we have the space for undergraduate students to go in-depth now thanks to interdisciplinary and skill-building programs,” adds Grossman.
With a podcast studio on-site and access to recording and editing software for their students, both Pavel and Grossman are excited about the overall multimedia project. As with any technologies, there are bumps in the road but, says Pavel, “We’ll take what we’ve learned for future podcasts too.”
Understanding Tribal Cultures and Histories Through Textile
When the podcasts are complete, they’ll be available to the public via the Coast Salish Wool Weaving Center’s website. From that site you an also reserve tickets to the Woven in Wool exhibit at the Burke Museum.
Pavel, who was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities grant in 2024, is happy to answer questions about the school’s Native American and Indigenous Programs or Visual and Media arts. Grossman, whose specialties include Native American and Indigenous Programs, Political Economy, Global Studies and Environmental Justice, International Studies, Ethnic Studies and Geography is also happy to help.
Incoming students who want to learn more about admissions and financial aid or schedule a visit to Evergreen, call 360.867.6000 today. Then get ready to weave the tapestry of your future, one strand at a time.
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