Queer Places:
Klee Wyk Studio, 422 Nisqually Cut Off Rd SE, Olympia, WA 98513
Crow Valley Pottery, 2274 Orcas Rd, Eastsound, WA 98245
Crow Valley School Museum, 1701-1703 Crow Valley Rd, Eastsound, WA 98245
Richard Eugene Schneider (April 5, 1928 - February 15, 2015) and his lifelong partner, Albert (Bud) McBride, Delbert J. McBride and Oliver Tiedemann started Klee Wyk Studio
Born to Dorothy and Clarence Schneider on April 5, 1928 in Seattle, Wash., Richard grew up on Orcas Island with his two sisters, Joyce and Viola.
Klee Wyk made a big splash locally through its use of Northwest Coast Indian imagery in design work. Klee Wyk’s design legacy is still evident in the recently restored West Seattle High School mural in Seattle. Several Seattle apartment buildings still have Klee Wyk tile murals with Indian themes installed on the outside. Local collectors have coffee tables, fountains, fireplaces and back splashes designed specifically for their homes. Bread-and-butter items like wind chimes and pendants were also designed and sold to tourists and visitors to the gallery. The construction of I-5 eventually ended the cooperative.
Subsequently, in 1959, Richard and Bud McBride opened what was then called the Crow Valley Shop on Orcas Island. With their experience, the shop became known for their wind bells, pendants, pottery and vases largely decorated by Richard. Richard and Bud McBride ran Crow Valley Pottery on Orcas Island until their retirement in 1995. Richard and Bud restored the original Crow Valley schoolhouse and donated it to the Historical Museum in Eastsound. As an avid historian, Richard studied and knew more about Orcas Island history and his lineage than one would expect.
Richard and Bud moved the Dixon House across Crow Valley to restore and show. Richard Schneider passed away quietly amid family and friends on February 15, 2015.
My published books:
