Healing Pole project launched at Archbishop Murphy High School

EVERETT — Guided by a Native artist, students and staff at Archbishop Murphy are transforming a 2-ton old-growth redwood log into a Healing Pole for their campus.

The yearlong art project is meant to help the Archbishop Murphy community move beyond the turmoil of the COVID pandemic, foster a sense of community and learn about Native American culture, according to Principal Alicia Mitchell.

“I wanted to give some kind of healing,” said James Madison, the project artist who is a member of the Tulalip Tribes and father of two Archbishop Murphy students — sons Jayden, a junior, and Jevin, a sophomore. Seven other students at the school are members of the Tulalip Tribes, Mitchell said.

Madison, an accomplished artist and the school’s inaugural artist-in-residence, said he wanted to share his culture and do something positive with Archbishop Murphy students.

Madison said he was 5 years old when his grandfather started teaching him to carve wood; his parents, aunts and uncles are also artists. Today, Madison works in wood, glass, bronze and stainless steel.

He has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Washington, where some of his work is on display — a bronze husky statue at the Tyee Club at Husky Stadium and a bronze salmon laid in concrete at the Foster School of Business, he said. His work has been widely displayed, including at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Edmonds College and the Tulalip Resort Casino.

Madison’s project with Archbishop Murphy will turn a log more than 12 feet long into an image of a wildcat (the school’s mascot) climbing down a mountain, he said.

The project has a lot of meaning, especially for the junior and senior classes, who started at Archbishop Murphy in the middle of the pandemic disruptions, according to Mitchell.  The Class of 2023, who were freshmen in 2019, started their first year of high school in person, then had to change to remote learning when the pandemic prompted a lockdown in early 2020. The current junior class were freshmen in 2021, when families had the option of in-person or hybrid instruction for their students, Mitchell explained.

The Healing Pole project “finds a way to bring us together and do something as a community,” the principal said.

‘Everybody gets to chip in, literally’

Students spent a rainy May 5 learning about the tools they would be using — Madison brought an adze and lip adze, both handmade — then they started carving the log.

“It feels like community-building. Everybody gets to chip in, literally,” said Kai Lewis, a senior who plans to play football at Pacific Lutheran University. He already knew Madison, who is a volunteer football coach for the Archbishop Murphy.

Steven Locke, another senior, said the project is a great way to bring Tulalip culture to the school, and having students help with the carving adds a personal touch.

“Going away, I feel like I’m leaving a piece of me behind a little bit,” said Locke, who is headed to Western Washington University after graduation.

Madison works with younger students who are learning about Coast Salish art, and the high school project will provide opportunities to teach students about Tulalip culture, Mitchell said.

“Native communities have been under-represented and misrepresented, and we want to build a cultural bridge,” Mitchell said.

Madison and students will be working on the wood sculpture two or three days a week through the rest of the school year. Mitchell said students can sign up for intensive sessions or they can just stop by to carve.

Work on the project will resume in early 2024, with completion planned that May before the senior class graduates.

“Our goal is every member of the Class of 2024 carves on it,” Mitchell said.