OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Governor’s Mansion Foundation (GMF) has produced a special video about noted Eastern Washington and Yakama Nation artist Leo Adams.  The video which is available at www.wagovmansion.org was funded in part by a 2022 Grant Opportunity from Humanities Washington.

The video complements a recently installed artwork in the Washington Governor’s Mansion by Adams entitled, “Reservation View.”  The art was commissioned by the Foundation as part of its 50th Anniversary commemoration in 2022 and features Adams’ well-known techniques and color palette along with traditional elements important to the Yakama.  Yakima area GMF Trustees were instrumental in securing the art and raising the funds to make the project possible.   The video highlights Leo Adams’ career, philosophy, and art legacy.  For more information about the project, the Foundation and how to tour the Mansion to see Adams’ work, visit www.wagovmansion.org.

“The Foundation has recently updated its Art Acquisition Plan to better reflect the diverse people of the State and acknowledge their contributions to our collective history,” said Mary Elizabeth Karpel, chairperson of the Art Committee for the Mansion.  “So, we are very delighted that Mr. Adams agreed to do this piece for us. He is known internationally, and his prior work reflects pieces we’d like to have in our collection.”

Click here to view the video

This video was funded in part by a 2022 Humanities Washington Opportunity Grant

The Olympia Governor’s Mansion is the Governor’s residence and a place for the Governor to host dignitaries and entertain.  The nine public rooms of the Mansion are furnished with 18^th and 19^th century antiques as well as some pieces from the original furnishings dating back to 1909.   Art pieces in the Mansion are primarily from donations and from efforts of the Art Committee of the Mansion to acquire compatible artwork to the historic furnishings.  Notable artists in the collection include Rembrandt Peale, Dale Chihuly and Edwin Chapman (dining room mural). They showcase the history and advancements in the arts and technology that have created Washington state. The 1909 Mansion is part of the Washington State Capitol Historic District which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The Governor’s Mansion Foundation (not affiliated in any way with the Governor or the Governor’s office), with more than 200 members, is an all-volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan organization, founded in 1972, that honors the historical and cultural importance of the Washington State Governor’s Mansion by maintaining, preserving, and enhancing furnishings and art for the nine public rooms of the Mansion, educating the public about the Mansion and its history, and advocating on its behalf.