Mouse Woman drawing by Luke J. Parnell
Greetings to all the Coast Salish peoples, upon whose traditional territories we work and live. Peace and prosperity in the New Year to all our readers!
Welcome to the fourth issue of The Beat , a monthly newsletter about art by the First Nations on Canada’s West Coast.
Norval Morrisseau 1931-2007
We have lost a man who played a unique role in the culture of Canada, the first modern Ojibwe artist to express his heritage and spiritual life in a vivid visual language accessible to a wider public. His art became an unprecedented national and international success. A National Gallery of Canada retrospective of his work is currently showing in New York at the Museum of the American Indian.
In the words of Curator Gerald McMaster, “Morrisseau unleashed in a subsequent generation of artists a torrent of possibility, giving them a visual language in which to express their identity, culture and history.”
Dana Claxton , a multidisciplinary Lakota artist living in Vancouver, sent out a long poem after Norval Morrisseau’s death on December 4, 2007. She writes with intense feeling, paying homage to Morrisseau’s courageous spirit and inspiring example to younger First Nations artists, telling how viewing his paintings made her feel “wrapped in an ancestor’s blanket”. The complete poem is on her website at www.danaclaxton.com The following is just an excerpt:
His paint.his paint!!!
Norval's
paint, pushing to and fro
You push the paint Norval with Shaman
flair
With ease and grace.oh!! how you care
You pushed the
paint across this land
You pushed the paint into the universe
The
gallery was full of mind!
The gallery was full of spirit!
Multi
hues and figures much
All there on the canvas, or brown paper,
blue
All there on the birch bark too
Back to the old stories
told
In the land where the ancestor roll
In the land where that
spirit lives old
Colour so flash.across the canvas
told
Stories of creation and how the people roll
The spirit
beings and bears
Xray vision, oh so bare!
A movement
you created through art
Grandfather of contemporary Aboriginal Art
You painted the canvas and the gallery beholds
Upon their
white walls you showed
An ancient culture painted by a shaman on
his ancient homeland
Stories of the land, sky and water
too
Complex inter-celestial beings sat across from me to!
That
Indian thing! of supernatural beings
Visit our people and
bring
Teachings to us to share somehow
BC Aboriginal Art Achievement Awards
A reminder: The British Columbia Creative Achievement Awards for Aboriginal Art are designed for artists from BC First Nations who have demonstrated a commitment to their art practice, who have accumulated a body of work and who are recognized in their community and peers as artists. Up to five artists will be selected from those who have self-submitted or who are nominated and who work in BC traditional or contemporary visual arts in such fields as carving, weaving, beading, jewellery, photography, painting, masks, sculpture, stonework, print making, basket-making and textiles. $5,000 will be awarded to each recipient. The deadline for nominations is January 30 2008. www.bcachievement.com
Auctions
An auction including Northwest coast First Nations art was held December 3, 2007 in San Francisco at Bonhams and Butterfields. Bonhams is an old London-based firm which describes itself as “the oldest and largest fine art auction house” in the American West. Interesting results were:
A 14” carved argillite plate depicting a sea ray, an earth bear and an air bird, sold for $11,000 plus buyer’s premium and tax.
A Coast Salish stone effigy for $15,000+ the usual
A very fine Nootka spruce root painted hat with a wide black rim and figure, described by Bill Holm as late nineteenth century, for $40,000+
A beautiful Chilkat blanket 54x62” for $42,500+.
For more information go to www.bonhams.com and click through to the San Francisco location and date.
Cowichan Spirit Pole
Spirit Pole has been commissioned to coincide with the 2008 Cowichan Indigenous Games and BC’s 150 th birthday. The design, by Kwagiulth/Salish/British artist Carey Newman who lives in Sooke BC, is unusual in its flowing diagonal lines. The twenty-foot red cedar log will have its first cuts in Cowichan on May 1, 2008, then begin a thirteen-week tour of 45 other communities in British Columbia where local carvers will work under the guidance of Newman and his father Victor Newman. Carey Newman’s family includes many distinguished artists: his great-great-grandfather was Charlie James and his great-aunt was Ellen Neal. The pole, called “Victory of the Spirit”, will be featured at the inauguration ceremony of the Games on August 3, 2008 and will remain in the Cowichan Valley permanently.
See www.cowichan2008.com .
New Acquisitions at Bill Reid Foundation
The collection of the Bill Reid Foundation, which will be showcased starting this spring in the Bill Reid Gallery at 639 Hornby Street in downtown Vancouver, is growing. Not only has the Gift Agreement of Bill Reid’s personal collection of his own art and memorabilia been recently finalized, but also additional works by Reid and others have been acquired or promised.
The 107-work collection which forms the largest part of the BRF holdings is a donation from Dr. Martine Reid, with major support from the Government of Canada, the Trustees of the Collection, the late Maurice and Mary Margaret Young, Milton and Fei Wong, and Toni and Hildegarde Cavelti, as well as generous public subscription. Among other works donated since the establishment of the Foundation is the imposing bronze 28’ Mythic Messengers sculptured frieze, some exquisite jewellery, and a canoe and paddles designed by Reid.
Two gold Reid bracelets are a proposed gift to the Foundation from a collector who was a long time friend and associate of Bill Reid. The first is from the late 1950’s and engraved with a double eagle design, notable for the eagles being joined at the tail rather than the heads. The second was carved by Reid in 1970 and is a tour de force of deep repousse technique, which Reid introduced to Haida art after his studies in London England in the 1960’s.
Another collector and close friend of Bill Reid is giving the Foundation a silver cuff bracelet made by Reid’s adopted son Raymond Stevens, who died suddenly just as he was maturing as a formidable artist in the family tradition. Young Stevens created this bracelet in a double convex shape, achieved ingeniously by hammering the object over a ball-shaped trailer hitch.
Within the next six months the distinguished Haida artist Jim Hart will have completed a fine “Tribute to Bill Reid” pole to be permanently installed in the Bill Reid Art Gallery on Hornby.
The exhibition project Continuum , which will be in the Bill Reid Gallery from June 2009 (see The Beat October 2007), has a new curator. Tsimshian art historian Mique’l Askren , who was instrumental in developing the concept, withdrew due to other work commitments, and is succeeded by Consulting Curator Northwest Coast Art Trinity Bissett, an artist-curator originally from Laxgaltsap in Nisga’a territory. Continuum: Vision and Creativity of the Northwest Coast is a project to commission more than twenty First Nations artists to create works of art which “explore the relationship between contemporary and traditional practices”. The chosen artists have begun to meet among themselves to discuss the concepts of the exhibition, a surprisingly unusual practice. Bissett is particularly interested in the component of the project which involves the chosen artists working with their home communities and cultural centres as artists-in-residence to promote dialogue within the community. Further news will appear in The Beat as the project develops. Curator Bissett can be contacted at trinity_bissett@yahoo.ca
(Please note there is an underscore between trinity and bissett)
Spirit of the Haida Gwaii Concert
Tickets are now being sold for the concert performance of Spirit of the Haida Gwaii on February 2 and 3rd 2008 at Christ Church Cathedral at Burrard and Georgia, performed by the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral and a full live orchestra. Bruce Ruddell composed this oratorio setting of a poem by Bill Reid.
Tickets are available at www.TicketsTonight.ca , by calling 604 231 7535 or in person at the Plaza Level of 200 Burrard Street in Vancouver.
2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver
As mentioned in The Beat December 2007 , some of the venues for the Whistler/Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be in sites owned or operated by the City of Vancouver. Since culture has become a feature of the modern Olympic tradition, we expect to see art projects play some role in the preparations over the next few years.
The spectacular Squamish-Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler on Lorimer Road near the Four Seasons Hotel is already a popular landmark. Designed by lead architect Alfred Waugh of Waugh, Busby Architects in Vancouver, the 30,400 sq. ft. building will be opened later in 2008. It includes a Great Hall, a large first-rate museum space, an 80-seat multimedia theatre, a gift shop and a café. Outdoors are indigenous plant gardens, a traditional Squamish-style longhouse and a traditional pit house of the Lil’wat nation. Carved welcome figures and ceremonial carved doors will greet visitors. Go to www.slcc.ca for more information.
In contrast, Vancouver is just developing plans for the cultural aspect of the 2010 events. As with all major city buildings, works of art are required for the new venues. In November 2007 a call went out from the City of Vancouver’s Public Art Committee for Expressions of Interest from consultants to plan this process. Of the applicants will then be short-listed, then one successful applicant chosen At that point, an Agreement with the Preferred Proponent who is mandated to create procedures and plans will be negotiated, discussions eventually resulting in a proposal “to create a collection of public art projects and initiatives that reflect the spirit and intent of the Olympic movement in the unique setting of the city”. There will be two categories of projects: the first to create “permanent legacies” (actual objects of art?), the other “celebratory and interactive”. Which I think means temporary and fun events. Each stage must pass through the hands o City staff Office of Cultural Affairs discussions and approvals, and that of the nine-member Public Art Committee; many of these steps must also await the next scheduled City Council meeting for review and approval. Can this process possibly leave time for artists to create and cost projects according to specifications which do not yet exist? It sounds like an extremely tight turnaround time. I hope that the artists, especially the First Nations artists, interested in these potential projects will keep a close eye on developments and have ideas and proposals already developed for the moment when they can be brought forward.
I am sorry to say that the Official Olympic Countdown Clock at Hornby and Georgia in downtown Vancouver is described by the City website as an example of cultural expression for the City of Vancouver, a monument to our “creativity and talent”. Read more about Olympic site commissions at:
www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/oca/PublicArt/index.htm
Artists should sign up for the listserv which publicizes possible commissions at:
www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/oca/PublicArt/listserv.htm
On the Vancouver City Council website, we will be able to follow which stage we have reached on the process and decisions described above.
Indigenous Art at National Gallery of Canada
The announcement was made on December 11 2007 of an important gift to the National Gallery of Canada by Vancouver developer and philanthropist Michael J. Audain, who has been on the Board of the NGC since 2005. A donation of $2,000,000 was made to endow a curatorial chair of Indigenous Art. Mohawk artist and curator Greg Hill was appointed earlier in 2007. The National Gallery's Indigenous Art collection area includes works of Indigenous artists from around the world with special emphasis on contemporary art produced by First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples in Canada. These works are displayed in the Contemporary Art Galleries, the Inuit Art Galleries, and in the ongoing Art of This Land installation in the Canadian Galleries .
The Beat is an independent, not-for-profit project written and published in Vancouver Canada by Ann Cameron. Write to me at editor@coastalartbeat.ca
Copyright © 2008 Ann Cameron.