You could hear a pin drop.
Third graders at Happy Valley Elementary School remain quiet, grasping onto every word coming from Jason LaClair. They are enthralled he is here.
Allied Arts, a gallery and leader in the Whatcom County art scene, has partnered with LaClair to bring his knowledge to the classroom.
LaClair, a local Lummi/Nooksack artist, works with students to create art inspired by Coast Salish design styles.
LaClair has been an artist for more than 30 years, having begun his practice at age 9. Since then, he has gone on to become a prominent figure in the Bellingham art scene.
“Creating art is so important because as human beings, it's so easy to get distracted with everything that's going on in the world,” LaClair said. “It takes me to that place of silence.”
His presence in the classroom highlights the John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial curriculum. The Washington mandate requires the teaching of tribal sovereignty or other tribally developed curriculum to be taught in all schools for students pre-K through 12.
Through his guided creation, students begin to foster a deeper connection to the land they live on.
“It’s just a deeper, more holistic understanding of the learning that we’re doing,” said Tara Vodopich, a teacher at Happy Valley Elementary. “It puts it into perspective, and I think it just makes them stronger people and it makes them better local citizens.”
Students' artwork from LaClair’s lessons on Coast Salish design lines the hallway leading up to Vodopich’s third grade classroom. Their creations stand out as a homage to the land they live on.
These works follow traditional Coast Salish design themes, such as depictions of orcas, eagles and salmon, along with elements of continuous flowing lines which create the image itself.
“It's been a really authentic, just cool experience, listening to him teach and share his philosophy on art and where his ideas come from,” Vodopich said.
Happy Valley Elementary was the first school LaClair became involved with through Allied Arts.
“I gave them a lot of recognition for being the very first school I taught at, and for them being so welcoming,” LaClair said. “Otherwise, I wouldn't be at any school at all.”
Collaborations like these not only benefit students' growth but also provide a space for Indigenous artists to share their stories.
“Every time something like that happens, it gives us an opportunity to connect,” LaClair said on the topic of Indigenous artists visiting schools. “Our neighbors get to know us better and who we are as a whole.”
The work to include Indigenous perspectives in education is far from over, as the collaboration between Indigenous community members and public schools continues to grow. Lessons on tribal sovereignty and history evolve from textbooks into recollections from their Indigenous neighbors.
Children of the Setting Sun Productions has worked diligently to document this partnership between Indigenous voices and educators, a task that has only gained momentum since LaClair’s first visit to the classroom.
“We've done this ongoing collaboration with Bellingham Public Schools,” said Natasha Frey, co-education director for Children of the Setting Sun. “That includes documenting when Indigenous community members, artists, storytellers come into the classroom and teach students directly.”
Frey originally sought out a degree in pre-law, but later pivoted to gain her master’s degree in adult education through Western Washington University.
“It's just kind of like all the pieces fit together around wanting to work in human rights realization, having writing skills and having a broad perspective of what education is like,” Frey said. “It's not just classrooms … it's museums, it's media, it's films. And just all of those pieces kind of came together.”
LaClair’s impact transcends the classroom. Children of the Setting Sun Productions’ documentary, “Story Pole,” follows his transformative journey toward healing and recovery. The documentary celebrates the power of cultural heritage and Indigenous perspectives in education through the carving of the story pole.
“We continue to grow that relationship with the people that are wanting to integrate our story into academia,” said Darrell Hillaire, executive director for Children of the Setting Sun. “The story is told from our viewpoint, not from academia itself.”
The introduction of the Since Time Immemorial curriculum into Washington state schools has been endorsed by all 29 federally recognized state tribes.
“If we can actually begin to see that in one another, that we are taught to share, taught to be thankful, taught to be respectful, we're doing our job as adults” Hillarie said. “If our children learn what those three things are, they probably have a better world to live in.”
Kamra Greenwall-Cox (she/her) is a city news reporter for The Front this quarter. She is a fourth-year environmental journalism major. Outside of reporting on the city of Bellingham, Kamra enjoys practicing aerial arts and reading. You can reach her at kamragreenwallcox.thefront@gmail.com
