Unlike many artists in western Washington and Oregon, who emphasized Asian and Pacific Coast Native genres, the Nespelem artists drew attention to the past, present, and future of endangered Interior Salish culture.
These elements combined to create an ideal setting for artists to capture memorable scenes for future generations.
The colony was founded by Worth Griffin and Clyfford Still, who created the first extensive visual record of the Nespelem people.
They put in exhaustive hours during the week on portraits and landscapes, then sketched at Grand Coulee on weekends.
Finished works went in many directions, including some bequeathed to the Washington State Historical Society.