Spinning Life: A New Mural for the Silverdale Branch

A painted wheel of wooden browns—as it turns, animals come to life in color: the chocolate velvet of a deer's neck, a fish's green silver scales, the blurred soft white fur of an otter's belly. Over the past few months, a vibrant mural has emerged on an interior wall of the Silverdale branch. The painter of the new installation is Toma Villa, a Yakama Nation artist who says the mural came about through a series of conversations between him, his partner, a Suquamish artist named Kate Ahvakana, and staff members of the Silverdale branch. The design draws inspiration from the Coast Salish spindle whorls on display at the Suquamish Museum. 

"[The spindle whorl] is a smaller piece of wood that would have a wooden dowel through it that was used to spin wool. So, the idea of [the mural] is spinning life off of it," says Toma. "It's carved with these characters and these animals, and it's like a little creation story." Toma points toward a deer with a wooden body, its head and antlers emerging from the wheel: "eventually, they will all come into being."

When Toma and Kate initially came into the branch to discuss design ideas, the Silverdale branch staff pointed out that although the building's design is minimalistic, it incorporates many natural elements. Branch Manager Ana Cuprill Comas pointed to the children's area design with its treehouse and drew the artists' attention to how the branch's large windows, "feel like a live mural with the trees, Mount Tahoma, and Dyes Inlet," and asked whether that feeling could be included in the new piece. 

The two artists immediately noticed that a lot of the branch's current art literally doesn't fit in the space, like the tree branches and kite in the kids' area, and the glass octopus whose arm reaches out from the wall. Toma and Kate "liked the idea of artwork coming to life, out of the borders and expected frames," Ana says. "So they started brainstorming right away on the whiteboard table with the markers that were there. It was amazing to see their excitement as they added elements and animals being flung from the spindle whorl, transforming from carved to real. They literally took our thoughts and turned them into a picture that meant something to them, too."

The mural features animals important in Suquamish storytelling and to Toma and Kate personally: fish, otters, beavers, and bears. Kate works in the Suquamish Cultural Resources Department for the tribe, and Toma says incorporating Suquamish culture and stories was vital to the design. The mural even contains paintings of Toma's original carvings.

Painting the mural during the Silverdale library's open hours allows Toma to see how others, particularly children, are interacting with the art in real time. He says a lot of the kids will sit with their parents and watch his process. The best part comes when his audience begins making up stories about what's happening in the piece and giving the animals backstories and personalities.

"I really enjoy being here," says Toma. "For me, [the library] is a good center place. It's where people congregate and come around and spend family time. What I really like seeing is when families come in here together, and their excitement when they see [the mural] together."

Ana says it's a huge honor for the branch to display this mural, which features so many significant cultural and artistic representations. "I'm really proud of how this mural will touch upon our connection to the natural world, and to the tribes, their art, culture, stories, and values." 

Toma is an artist who works in many formats and mediums. He says this mural's style is different and distinct from his other works. Last year, his carving and design work was featured in Oregon Public Broadcasting's "Guardian of the Land", a film about Indigenous interpretations of Bigfoot. The short film went on to win a Northwest Regional Emmy. 

The mural will be finished later this fall, and the Silverdale branch staff plan to host a party celebrating the piece's completion at that time.