Marvin Oliver, renowned artist, advocate, UW graduate, associate curator for the Burke Museum, and professor emeritus of American Indian Studies, passed away on July 17, 2019 surrounded by family.
His work spanned many mediums and is on display throughout the Pacific Northwest, across the United States, and around the world. Though rooted in his Quinault and Isleta-Pueblo heritage, Marvin’s work combined many styles to create Northwest Coast-style works of art that run the gamut from prints to totem poles to blown glass sculptures to cast bronze.
Marvin founded the annual “Raven’s Feast” at UW, a community dinner that celebrated American Indian and Alaska Native graduates each year, and where he gifted each graduate with a signed print to commemorate their accomplishments. Marvin was fueled not just by creating art, but by giving his gifts and talents and sharing what he had with others. In 2019, his leadership in the community was recognized by one of UW’s highest honors, the Charles E. Odegaard Award, given to individuals who exemplify former UW President Odegaard’s work on behalf of diversity.
As a tribute to his life and legacy, his family has created the Marvin Oliver Memorial Endowed Fund Scholarship to uplift a cause that was important to Marvin: support of undergraduate students in the Department of American Indian Studies. The Honoree's surviving family hopes this fund may help to recognize students within American Indian Studies for their academic successes, artist innovations, and/or leadership within the community. This Spring, we were thrilled to open applications and honor our first awardees of the scholarship. We chose 4 students who embodied the spirit of the scholarship, including Marvin’s trait of honoring his gifts by sharing them and paying it forward.
Tena Faith Bear Don’t Walk is an American Indian Studies major and an Education, Learning and Society minor. Through her coursework, as well as her officer experience in First Nations at UW, a Native student group, Tena braided together cultural practices and academia to organize powerful and healing events and workshops for her fellow students, including culture nights, Powwow dance classes, fancy shawl workshops, Powwow arts workshops, beading and mocassin classes, and MMIW events. She says her coursework gave her the critical tools to frame our stories and experiences with accuracy and care and taught her “that leadership is not just about visibility, it’s about responsibility to community.”
Desirae Beedle is an American Indian Studies and Interdisciplinary Visual Arts double major. Desirae is deeply committed to cultural preservation, education, and community leadership and has been showcasing that passion through her art. Her work has been featured in North Seattle College’s student exhibitions for two consecutive years, with two pieces even being acquired by the college. She’s been published in the Licton Springs Review, designed the logo for James Baldwin Elementary, and currently serves as a cultural enrichment specialist at both James Baldwin and Licton Springs K–8. She continues to deepen her knowledge by apprenticing in Raven’s Tail weaving—a traditional Northwest Coast textile art - and is helping bring this tradition to urban Native youth in Seattle.
Devin Sampson-Craig is an American Indian Studies major. When he was cast as Bryson Badonie in Netflix’s Feature Film “Rez Ball”, Devin took only one quarter off to film and travel the full press tour for the film. After this, he conducted a year-long independent study with AIS Professor Dian Million on Native representation in film, including interviews from Native actors and filmmakers across the country, and culminating in a multimedia project about his own reflections and the larger impact of “Rez Ball” for Native communities.
RaeAnn Uyeda is an American Ethnic Studies and Comparative History of Ideas double major, along with minors in Oceania and Pacific Islander Studies (housed in AIS), Labor Studies, and Diversity. RaeAnn served a student liaison for the Department of American Indian Studies for two years, sharing her experience in the program at recruiting and outreach events both on and off campus. She also trained as our first student tour guide for Owen Oliver’s Indigenous Walking tour of the UW Seattle campus, offering multiple tours her last quarter for staff and students to have greater access and engagement with the tour. She also created her own course syllabus for a discussion group entitled "Indigenous Survivance: Lessons from Okinawan History and Diaspora" based on her own background and things she learned and explored in AIS and OPIS courses.
We are so happy to honor each of our outstanding awardees $1,000 to continue their academic journey. If you’d like to help us award future recipients of this scholarship, consider making a donation to the Marvin Oliver Endowed Memorial Fund.