Mouse Woman drawing by Luke J. Parnell
The Beat
A monthly newsletter about the art of
First Nations on Canada’s West Coast
Welcome to the twenty-second issue of The Beat, a free, independent newsletter that brings you up-to-date on the art, artists and events of the First Nations on Canada’s Pacific Coast.
We respectfully acknowledge the Coast Salish Peoples, on whose traditional territories we live and work, and all the First Nations of the Pacific coast.
++++++++++++++++++++
The response to The Beat’s invitation to readers to describe special sites reflecting First Nations culture on the coast elicited some good information. We still hope to hear more personal stories about specific places from you.
The Makah Museum is on the furthest northwest point of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The Museum is in the village of Neah Bay near Ozette, an ancient settlement of the Makah. The Makah are one of the great whaling peoples of the Nuu-chah-nulth nation, some of whom live on the west coast of Vancouver Island,.
This ancient seaside settlement of Ozette was exposed by a mudslide in 1970: suddenly, a group of six perfectly preserved 500-year-old longhouses were available to their descendants and archaeologists for study and preservation. Tens of thousands of artifacts from the site have been examined, and many, now displayed in context, are in the Makah Museum: the baskets, the wool woven blankets, the tools and a recreation of the look of the life lived long ago by these people, as well as the traditions of the Makah people in the more recent past.
The drive west to this unique place is a winding road through a beautiful forested landscape along the Juan de Fuca Strait.
More about the Makah Cultural & Research Center is at
http://www.makah.com/mcrchome.htm
An online visit to the museum and Makah traditional culture is at http://content.lib.washington.edu/cmpweb/exhibits/makah/index.html
Two archaeological sites of the British Columbia coast First Nations are threatened: Prince Rupert harbour and Storey’s Beach at Beaver Harbour near Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island.
The Prince Rupert area on the northern British Columbia mainland may be the oldest continuously inhabited site in North America, according to the scholars who have done excavations in the area. Nonetheless, the plans to expand port facilities may result in the destruction of unexamined ancient settlements (See The Beat February 2008).
The second endangered site is Storey’s Beach at Beaver Harbour Park. As a site of ancient settlement, it is protected under the Heritage Conservation Act, but the City of Port Hardy wants to excavate it for a sewage system. The city says that ailing septic systems in the area’s houses are contaminating the beach.
Near Prince Rupert in northern British Columbia, Tsimshian artist Russell Mather has directed members of the Lax Kw'Alaams band and a group of schoolchildren in creating an 8-foot circular mask for the Coast Tsimshian Academy in their community.
Mather's design has inner and outer concentric parts: the outside sun part of the work has four crests: the Eagle, the Raven, the Wolf and the Blackfish. Each crest has six humans inside, balancing the number of men and women. The moon in the centre of the circle is simple and calm, as the moon appears to us, and is painted with copper paint.
Mather was born and raised in Lax Kw'Alaams and is very pleased and grateful to be coming back to the community with this project: 'It's been a long while since Tsimshian art has been offered to this school and community,' he says.
The huge mask will be displayed at the entrance of the Coast Tsimshian Academy. Mather sends many thanks to the Academy, to his many volunteers and to his partner Sophia Beaton from the Freda Diesing School.
+++
Exhibitions
Beyond Survival: the Healing Power of Our Art, 45 new sculptures and paintings by Michael Dangeli at the Amelia Douglas Gallery at Douglas College in New Westminster near Vancouver, until August 10 2009. An illustrated catalogue of the work is available. http://www.douglascollege.ca/artscomm
Continuum: Vision and Creativity on the Northwest Coast opened at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in June, and will continue there until January 31 2010, with much celebration of the 22 artists participating. Among the many current shows on similar themes, this one is unique in the method used to in its development: the artists were chosen, and subsequently commissioned to create their works. Community dialogues between chosen artists and elders were held at some distance from Vancouver.
The range of work is wide: pop culture parodies, exquisite silver carving, multi-media fantasies, proud traditional but creatively designed weaving. The quality of the show will reward those who visit many times. For more http://www.billreidgallery.ca/
Honouring the Ancient Ones work by Salish artists John and Luke Marston is at the Inuit Gallery in Vancouver until July 17 2009. See http://www.inuitgallery.com
LessLIE’s exhibition Sale(ish) Culture at Prince George’s Two Rivers Gallery, until August 9. See http://www.tworiversgallery.ca
At the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria The World Upside Down (see The Beat June 2009) runs until August 30 2009. It is a collaboration from artists Terrance Houle and Jarusha Brown.
The film Honey Moccasin by artist/director Shelley Niro will be screened on July 9 at 7:30 pm. It is “a playful comedy/thriller which investigates authenticity, cultural identity and the articulation of modern Native American experience.” http://www.aggv.bc.ca
Cosmologies: anything that exists has a beginning at the Centre A Gallery in Vancouver from July 4 to August 8 2009. (See The Beat June 2009.) This multi-media group exhibition deals with complex cultural systems created by individual artists from various Indigenous cultures. There will an artist talk on July 4 at 2 pm.
Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg near Toronto until September 20 2009. The 176-page book accompanying the forty-artist exhibition (same title) is large and very beautiful. Ian M. Thom, the author, is a senior curator at the Vancouver Art Gallery, but the exhibition will not be seen at that institution. The $60 book is published by Douglas & McIntyre; more information is at http://www.dmpibooks.com/book/9781553654148
Beat Nation: Hip Hop as Indigenous Culture at the Grunt Gallery in Vancouver runs to August 1 2009. The gallery is at #116, 350 East 2nd Avenue. Artists include Enpaauk Andrew Dexel (Coast Salish Nlakapamux) and Sonny Assu (Wei Wai Kai, Cape Mudge).
“Native graffiti art, indigenized iPods©, Inuit break dancing, indigenous-language hip hop and video, Indian bling and urban wear: the roots of hip hop culture and music have been transformed by indigenous cultures and identities into new forms of visual culture and music that echo the realities of Aboriginal people. Beat Nation is about music, it’s about art and it’s about the spirit of us as indigenous peoples and cultures.” (Tania Willard, Co-curator) Skeena Reese is the other co-curator.
On June 27, a special event at the Grunt Gallery featured senior art curator, director and Seneca artist Tom Hill speaking to the young First Nations artists and curators about the highlights of his career in arts administration. The response of respect and gratitude from the audience was eloquently expressed with drumming and songs.
More information at http://www.grunt.ca/programming.html
At the Tacoma Washington Museum of Glass Tahltan artist Preston Singletary will be exhibiting his work in Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire and Shadows from July 11 2009 to September 19 2010.
This is the first mid-career survey of this artist. Over two decades, Singletary has used an art glass technique and adapted his Northwest Coast First Nations style to create distinctive works which have inspired a number of other artists to experiment with the new material. A monumental cast-glass triptych, “comprising re-interpretations of a densely-carved interior house screen suspended between two longhouse posts. Merging art, video, and music into a multimedia installation, Singletary will create an atmospheric soundscape that resonates on several levels, revealing a new artistic direction.” An illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition. A lecture and slide presentation by the artist will be held Sunday July 12 2009 at 2 pm at the Museum at 1801 Dock Street on the Tacoma waterfront.
A Vancouver-based artist, Nuu-chah-nulth Joe David, will speak in the Conversations series at the Tacoma Museum of Glass at 2 pm on Sunday July 26 2009.
For more, see http://www.museumofglass.org
The Washington State History Museum in Tacoma is the site of the fourth annual In the Spirit: Contemporary Northwest Native Juried Arts Exhibit, showcasing the work of twenty contemporary Northwest Native artists on July 9, until August 30 2009. The exhibition’s opening reception is on July 16 at 5pm, and open to the public. For more, see:
http://wshs.pmailus.com/pmailweb/ct?d=Igg9EwGhACUAAADeAAL1ng
In Vancouver at the Museum of Anthropology, Nisga’a artist Vince Fairleigh will be carving a large cedar Moon Mask beginning July 6 until August 31 2009.
He will be carving throughout the summer except from July 26 to August 4, when he will be away participating in the annual Tribal Journeys canoe trip along the west coast of Vancouver Island. The Tribal Journeys project will involve about 100 canoes paddled by First Nations young people. From their home communities all along the Pacific coast, they will travel by canoe and meet on the Kitsap Peninsula of Washington State on August 3 to 8, for celebrations hosted by the Suquamish Tribe there. For more information on Tribal Journeys, see http://tribaljourneys.wordpress.com
(The Suquamish nation’s museum is on the reservation near Seattle. Their small museum displays artifacts and archival photographs to tell the story of the Suquamish people and their most famous member, “Chief Seattle”. A larger museum near the razzle-dazzle Clearwater Casino is planned, with construction starting in the fall.)
On January 23 2010, the Museum of Anthropology will present Boundary and Translation: New Art Across Cultures, curated by Karen Duffek and Niranjan Rajah. Twelve artists have created work addressing the issue of cultural boundaries: among communities, in art practices, audiences or institutions. Artists are from Asia, Australia, England and Canada, with Marianne Nicolson from the west coast.
For information about the University of British Columbia’s Museum of Anthropology, see http://www.moa.ubc.ca
Quadra Island to the east of Campbell River on Vancouver Island has one of the most interesting of British Columbia’s First Nations museums. The Nuyumbalees Cultural Centre is at Cape Mudge on the shore of the island, and in summer is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm. Besides the permanent collection of potlatch material and other cultural possessions once seized by the Canadian government and now returned to the community, there is a temporary exhibition, Honouring Our Grandmothers, telling of traditions and skills passed on by the elders.
The Centre’s website also tells of a planned expansion of the facility to include a community Big House, a “House of Eagles” Carving and Education Centre and an outdoor learning and demonstration centre, with room for traditional dances.
For more, see http://www.nuyumbalees.com
The Pegasus Gallery on Salt Spring Island between Vancouver and Victoria is holding a show Coastal Legacy – Northwest Coast Native Master Works, containing “rare historical and contemporary carvings, basketry and artifacts by native masters”, from July 31 to August 14, 2009. For more information, go to http://www.pegasusgallery.ca
+++
The next Inuit and Northwest Coast Art Auction by Appleton Galleries will be held on Sunday July 12th at 1pm in the Floral Hall of Vancouver's VanDusen Botanical Garden at 5251 Oak Street at 37th Avenue. Viewing starts at 11am. http://www.appletongalleries.com
The Independent Publishers of the United States have awarded Haida artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas the 2009 Gold Medal in the storytelling category for his popular book Flight of the Hummingbird: A Parable for the Environment, published by Greystone Books/Douglas & McIntyre. The publisher tells us to “stay tuned for Michael’s next amazing project, Red: A Haida Manga, an innovation in storytelling and art, coming in October 2009.”
A Tribute to a Great Soul an event to pay homage to Upper Skagit elder Vi Hilbert (see The Beat January 2009) will be held on July 14 2009 from 2 to 9 pm at the Whidbey Institute, featuring live music, art and “sweet remembrances”. The Institute is near Clinton WA; Whidbey Island is about 40 minutes north of Seattle.
For more information call 360 341 1884 or 360 341 3382.
+++
Pow Wows are popular summer events in British Columbia; many have good art and artisan markets.
Here are a few: in Vancouver, the Squamish Nation 22nd Annual Pow Wow on Friday July 10 to July 12
Squilax Pow Wow on Shuswap Lake, between Chase and Salmon Arm, on July 17 to 19. Call 250 679 3203 for more information.
Switzmalph Cultural Day and Pow Wow in Salmon Arm on the afternoon of July 20.
Spirit of the People Pow Wow at the Prospera Centre in Chilliwack July 24 to July 26.
30th Annual Kamloopa Pow Wow of the Secwepemc Peoples on July 31 to August 2 in Kamloops.
Further north, Gitanmax Cultural Days in Hazelton Friday August 14 to Sunday August 16 2009. For more information telephone 250 842 5207 or 800 663 4590
The Haida Heritage Centre in Skidegate will be holding a celebration of the First Anniversary of the opening on August
More on these August events in The Beat August 2009
For a calendar of many of the aboriginal tourism events, see http://www.aboriginalbc.com/trellis/news
++++++++++++++
Comments, news and new subscribers to this free newsletter are welcomed. Please write to: editor@coastalartbeat.ca
Past issues are available at our website http://www.coastalartbeat.ca
Thank you to David Dumaresq, Martin Landmann, Russell Mather, Ya Ya Heit, Michael Dangeli, Martine Reid, Krista Point, and others, for your assistance.
If you are searching for particular stories covered in past issues, try searching the web with Google, and include “coastalartbeat” in your search words.
The Beat is an independent, not-for-profit project written and published in Vancouver Canada by Ann Cameron.
Copyright 2009 Ann Cameron.