Lawney Reyes

Lawney L. Reyes, was born c. 1931 in Bend, Oregon (Sin-Aikst) is an American Indian artist, curator and memoirist based in Seattle, Washington. Historically her people were known as the Senjextee and also as "the Lake"; they now make up one of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. He graduated from Wenatchee Junior College. Reyes served in the U.S. Army; active service and leave gave him the opportunity to see much of Europe which influenced his art career. He worked for Seafirst Bank, initially as a designer, eventually collecting and curating the Seafirst Corporate Art Collection. During this time, he also used his nights and weekends to work at sculpture (mainly in wood) and as a freelance interior designer.] He became an increasingly acclaimed artist—winning a major award from the Center for Indian Art in Washington, D.C. and being invited to teach Contemporary Indian Art at the University of Washington—and curator, serving as commissioner of the Seattle Arts Commission and a member of the (Washington) Governor's Task Force for the state's arts appropriation budget.