Vancouver, British Columbia January 30, 2012

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY: EMILY CARR

Today it was sunny and the temperature in Vancouver was 5 °C. We went to the Vancouver Art Gallery to see the Shore, Forest and Beyond art show. It is a collection of works made by First Nations and Non-First Nation’s British Columbia artists. It is an amazing collection telling the history of British Columbia. Some of the most interesting pieces were the unbelievably powerful First Nations objects used during their ceremonies. There were some pieces of Emily Carr, a very famous painter from British Columbia. The show included many fabulous historical artworks as well as contemporary First Nations work.

INUIT ART GALLERY

Then we went to the Inuit Art Gallery in Gastown. They have a huge collection of Inuit and Northwest Coast Native Art including Inuit sculptures made of stone and bone, Inuit prints and drawings, Northwest Coast First Nations masks, totem poles, bentwood boxes, and ceremonial objects. They have both historical and contemporary art in the gallery. We checked out the Small Treasures 2012 Exhibit that had 155 sculptures from well-known and new upcoming artists.

We also checked out the Bentwood: Richard Sumner Solo Exhibition. The steam bentwood boxes were so impressive. It is a traditional form of vessel making that only the First Nations on the Northwest Coast create. Richard Sumner is now one of the best bentwood box makers. He was born in 1956 and is part of the Mamalillikulla First Nation located on Village Island. Doug Cranmer taught him how to carve and master the skills. He has done big steam bentwood boxes for the Vancouver International Airport and the Museum of Anthropology. He also does presentations at the Museum of Anthropology on wood bending techniques and Northwest Coast art. In 2010 he was awarded the British Columbia Creative Acheivement Award in Aboriginal Art. While we were at the museum I picked out a really nice necklace for my friend. I am looking forward now to getting home so that I can give it to her.

MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY

On the last day of our trip, we decided to go to the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. It is famous for its’ collection of over six thousand British Columbia First Nations objects including baskets, bent boxes, poles, masks and ceremonial objects. Today there are close to 200, 000 First Nations people living in British Columbia. The indigenous people have lived here for ten thousand years. The government created reserves and made the First Nations people follow the Indian Act of 1868 that restricted their cultures, languages and traditions. However, in recent years the First Nations are finally starting to have a voice and communicate to Canadians what it has been like for them living under such conditions. They are trying to get more control over their traditional lands through the British Columbia Treaty Process.

There are many totem poles displayed at the museum. Totem poles on the Northwest Coast are usually carved from red cedar trees. There are many types of poles including: house posts, mortuary poles to honour a person who has died, memorial poles to commemorate important events, and welcome figures. Some poles show the histories of the families who own them and have forms like frogs, beavers, ravens, wolves, bears, eagles, and humans so that others know which family or clan made them. A new generation of carvers is creating totem poles. Just outside of the museum are many breathtaking poles carved by contemporary First Nations artists like Susan Point, Bill Reid, and Doug Cranmer.