Left to Right: Sara Siestreem (Hanis Coos), “transtemporal clam basket,” 2022. 3D printed scan of a hand-woven basket (Nylon 12 Powder), 9.25 x 8 x 8 in., Photo: Mario Gallucci, courtesy of Elizabeth Leach Gallery; The Armory Show, Installation view. Photo: Adam Reich, courtesy of Cristin Tierney Gallery and Elizabeth Leach Gallery
“I believe art saves lives and the canon is authored by the oppressed,” says Sara Siestreem.
Siestreem is a multidisciplinary artist from the Umpqua River Valley on the South Coast of Oregon, working in painting, photography, printmaking, weaving, and large-scale installation. She combines the ceremonial traditions of her ancestors with contemporary modes and materials at the intersection of social and ecological justice, education, and Indigenous feminism. Siestreem was recently awarded the University of Oregon’s CFAR Fellowship, and a Forge Project Fellowship. Her work is in collections including the Forge Project, Mahicannituck (Hudson River) Valley, NY; Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA; Missoula Art Museum, Missoula MT; Museum of Fine Art, Boston, MA, and the Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR. Her artwork was recently included in the landmark 2023 book An Indigenous Present, conceived and edited by Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi Choctaw/Cherokee). She has an upcoming exhibition at Elizabeth Leach Gallery in September 2025.
Siestreem comes from a family of professional artists and educators; her training began in the home. Her lifelong mentor is Lillian Pitt (Wasco, Warm Springs, Yakama) and her weaving teachers are Greg Archuleta (Grand Ronde) and Greg A. Robinson (Chinook Nation).
Siestreem graduated Phi Kappa Phi with a BS from Portland State University. She earned an MFA with distinction from Pratt Art Institute. She created a self-sustaining weaving program for the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians.
“She is exceptionally professional, and has successfully navigated the complex gallery and museum landscape for twenty years,” said Reuben Roqueñi, Executive Director of Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), “In her own right, she is an activist, carving out space for Native artists in a field that has historically not offered proper recognition.”