Melonie Ancheta: Founder and Director of Native Paint Revealed
The authority on Northwest Coast Indigenous color use, and traditional pigment and paint technology, Melonie Ancheta is the founder and lead researcher of Native Paint Revealed, www.nativepaintrevealed.com, where, for 26 years, she has conducted research into the significance of traditional colors, and the traditional materials, tools and techniques of NW Coast Indigenous paint technology. Ancheta provides research, consultation and analysis of paints on artifacts for museums, conservators and collectors, as well as restoration and replication of artifacts. She educates about NW Coast Indigenous art and culture, and pigment and paint technology through classes, presentations and workshops.
In the process of researching NW Coast paint technologies, Ancheta has confirmed the use of celadonite, a green pigment, on the NW Coast for at least 4,000 years. She is the first person to identify and study the use and behaviors of the blue pigment, vivianite, as used by NW Coast Indigenous cultures. Currently she is working on a book about traditional NW Coast color use, and pigment and paint technology, and researching the use of cinnabar and chlorite by NWC Indigenous cultures.
Ancheta’s groundbreaking work is opening new fields of study within Northwest Coast Indigenous studies as well as in the disciplines of materials and cultural studies in general. Her work is assisting in determining place of origin for artifacts, provenance, identification of sibling artifacts and authorship. It is also helping develop better conservation and storage methods for artifacts based on the materials from which they are made.
A contributing author to A Totem Pole History: The work of Lummi carver Joe Hillaire, Ancheta’s publications also include:
•“Coloring the Native Northwest Coast”, published in the Spring 2016 issue of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian Magazine, American Indian
•“Celadonite and Vivianite: Revealing Green and Blue Pigments on the Northwest Coast”, presented at the Western Association for Art Conservation Conference
•“Coloring the Ancient: Northwest Coast Native Pigments”, given at the Northwest Anthropology and Archaeology conference
•“Revealing Blue on the Northern Northwest Coast”, published January 2020 by UCLA’s American Indian Studies Department in the American Indian Culture and Research Journal (DOI 10.17953/aicrj.43.1.ancheta). This monograph is an in depth discussion of the blue pigment, vivianite, and its use and enormous significance to NW Coast Native cultures.
Ancheta is also the founder of Pigments Revealed (www.pigmentsrevealed.com), an organization committed to promoting research, study and restoration of lost knowledge about natural pigments by creating strong international, cross-disciplinary relationships between researchers, scholars and artists for the purpose of sharing knowledge and expertise about natural pigments, building alliances for collaborative work, and developing research and education opportunities.
cv_1.2020.docx For my CV, please follow this link.
