06/13/2026
The palettes are coming! We will be sharing everyone's talent in the coming weeks. A HUGE thank you to our sponsors, who we will also feature in the coming weeks. You will see some changes this year, new shapes and sizes, new and old artists, unique applications, and more.
Let's kick it off with Beth Zimmerly Weldon! 2026 Palette of Waterford, “Return to Creation.”
From Beth"
"So I have some explaining to do.
My son James said, “Mom, you should do your weaving.” I said ok.
Then I struggled with how to paint one, because I’m not a painter. Then I realized I could weave one much easier than learning to paint one, so I did.
Meanwhile, I struggled with the rules. “Any medium,” so that was ok. But must be weatherproofed? I tried coating a sample & it just looked wrong.
Then I thought, These things were meant to be worn in all weather. I asked my friend Leon Briggs if it would be disrespectful to Seneca traditions if I just hung it on a stick in the weather.
His answer was so beautiful. He said in fact it was tradition when a sash was worn beyond use, it would be hung from a tree in the woods, to let it return to creation. A sash was a deeply personal possession, usually made by an older woman for a young man, and wearing it made the man feel he was connected with that woman. Since women give life, it was also a connection to Mother Earth, to creation itself. So leaving a sash was a sacrifice that brought deep grief, and anyone who saw it would know what it meant & would leave it alone. The sash was left to give itself to the needs of the forest.
So I hope people will understand that I am respecting two different ways of looking at things. The palette itself is weatherproofed, per WECAN rules. The sash itself is not, because that would be to disrespect its nature & the traditions it represents.
My humble apologies to me dear friend & teacher, Leon Sam Briggs. He showed me the traditional way to hang a sash, but I chose to do it in a way that allowed the beauty of the sash to be displayed. My sash was too short to show anything but the braided ends when tied that way. Gogetwa, dear Leon."
