by RENEE MIZAR

Communications Coordinator, Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley

The artistic talents and family heritage of three generations of the Hall-Adams family are celebrated in a new exhibit opening this weekend at the Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley (MAC).

The “Hall-Adams Family Exhibit” debuts with a public reception from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, July 13, at the MAC Exhibit Center, 175 W. Cedar St. in Sequim.

The opening begins with a traditional blessing ceremony by Jamestown S’Klallam spiritual leader Pat Adams, followed by the reception sponsored by 7 Cedars Casino.

A buckskin dress, painted drum, cradleboard, photographs, jewelry, cedar hats and baskets, carvings, and numerous cedar and beading projects are among the items featured in the exhibit, which is housed within the permanent Jamestown S’Klallam Longhouse Exhibit.

All who contributed to the exhibit are descendants of the late Harriette Hall Adams, daughter of Jacob “Jake” Hall and a former Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Council chair, as was her father. Contributors include Ann Adams, Florence Adams Monson, Jeff Monson, Korina Adams, Mary Adams, Pat Adams, Stephanie Adams, Danielle Adams Lawson, Eilinhoir Lawson, Nacona Lawson and Raelynn Lawson.

“The artistic abilities are so varying that it is so amazing to see what is created from a single thought — how they can take an idea and transform it to a painting, carving or a beaded design,” said Ann Adams, who helped coordinate the exhibit. “Not to mention the time and patience it takes to create each item. Some are done with a pattern and some from memory.”

Among the carvings contributed by Jeff Monson, a noted Jamestown S’Klallam tribal artist whose carved paddle permanently adorns the entryway of the longhouse exhibit, are a spiral walking stick, mask, skipper paddle, and wooden rattle.

“There is no one item that is a favorite,” said Ann Adams, noting the use of locally gathered wood and cedar materials in the artwork. “They all are very special because they were made either by my children, grandchildren, nephews or siblings.”

In conjunction with the exhibit, Adams will lead a free art demonstration at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, at the MAC Exhibit Center, and additional demos by family members are being planned. The exhibit remains on display through December 2013.

The Jamestown S’Klallam Longhouse Exhibit, which features rotating collections of artwork and artifacts of cultural significance, is a collaborative endeavor between the MAC and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.

The MAC Exhibit Center is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Visit www.macsequim.org or call 683-8110 for more information.