Tribal Affiliation: Quinault / Isleta Pueblo

Marvin Oliver is of Quinault and Isleta-Pueblo heritage. He draws upon the Northwest Coast half of his heritage for artistic inspiration, combining northern formline design with southern Coast Salish imagery.

Marvin is one of the Northwest's best known sculptors and printmakers. His prints, masks, helmets and wood panels fuse ancient forms with contemporary aesthetics.

His monumental works in cedar, bronze, cast glass and enameled steel - especially his totem poles and towering, stylized whale fins - has influenced recent new directions in contemporary Northwest Coast art and has established him as one of Seattle's foremost contributors to civic art. His works have been installed in Washington as well as through out the United States, Canada, and Japan.

Not only is Marvin an excellent artist but an inspiring teacher as well. He holds a part time post at the University of Alaska, Ketchikan, and has also been a professor in the American Indian Studies department at the University of Washington since 1974. He teaches two-dimensional design and woodcarving to students in the University's Art Department and also serves as an adjunct art history professor. Marvin is Curator of Contemporary Native American Art at the Burke Museum.

All images copyright © Stonington Gallery or ZensPhoto.