Delores
Churchill

Master weaver Delores Churchill is an eminent Haida weaver and an expert in gathering and preparing materials for cedar bark, spruce root, and Chilkat weaving. Churchill was fortunate to learn to weave from traditional weavers whose knowledge went back thousands of years, including her mother, respected basket weaver Selina Peratrovich.

Her artistic influence and knowledge of the art stretches around the globe. She has taught basketry and exhibited her works in numerous places including Canada, Hawaii, Germany, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. She has also worked as a researcher and consultant, helping identify works in museum collections.

She has been honored for her role in Haida basket weaving and perpetuation of the Native arts including an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Alaska Southeast, National Basketry Association Lifetime Achievement Award, National Endowment of the Arts Lifetime Fellowship Award, Rasmuson Foundation Lifetime Fellowship Award, and the Governor’s Award for the Arts.

After years of study and teaching, Churchill now witnesses the continuation of her art and culture through artists who have learned from her. “They are keeping this art alive so it continues long after I’m gone… It belongs to all of us.”

Portrait photo by Felix Wong.