It’s the sort of homely hand-me-down that a thrift store might think twice about accepting or putting in its window. The color is a muddy brown. The woolen fabric is scratchy. A ragged hole and blotchy stains of uncertain origin form the only discernible pattern. Calling it an army blanket would be paying it a compliment.
There is a saying in Iroquois folklore that it is difficult to stand in two canoes at once. No doubt Seneca artist and teacher Marie Watt is familiar with the feeling. Her “Blanket Stories” and multi media paintings are on display at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts’ new exhibition, “Album: Shifting Native Stories.”