Exhibit merges traditional art of West and Southwest

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Cultures merged at the Vancouver Museum at the end of October with the official opening of a Native art exhibition that showcases a marriage of Pacific Northwest Coast and American Southwest Indigenous stylization.

The Totems to Turquoise exhibit opened on Oct. 26 to an audience of artists, distinguished guest and media. Traditional and contemporary styles from the Northwest Haida, Kwakwaka'akw, Tsimsian, Nisga'a, Tlingit, Nuu-Chah-Nulth, Nuxalt, Haisla and Coast Salish were displayed under the same roof as works from the Southwest Zuni, Hopi, Santa Domingo, Taos, Pueblo, Apacheand Navajo tribes.

The theme of the show rested on the similarities and distinctions associated with Indigenous material and spiritual culture. Jewelry was the primary work shown, but carved wood masks and elaborate textiles were also displayed.

It is the first time the Totems to Turquoise exhibit has come home to Canada. Prior to its arrival, the works were housed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The planning and founding for the exhibition has come from the Vancouver-based Bill Reid Foundation and its Donor of the Day program, which allows different corporate and individual sponsors to fund the cost for every day the exhibit is shown in Vancouver.

Mavis Dixon, director of development for the Bill Reid Foundation, said due to the number of works in the show executed by contemporary local artists, it was only natural that the exhibition was brought home to B.C.

"The number of living artists represented in the show is 42 Northwest Coast living artists," Dixon said. "This would be criminal if the show in New York never came home."

Dixon said the show is a reference and celebration to the ongoing "living culture" of the Northwest Coastal First Nations.

"We didn't want it to be just what is in the museum, but about what is happening today in the community. Who are the living artists today creating art based on what is art in their community?"

The exhibit sprang to life from the book Totems to Turquoise, written by American Lois Sherr Dubin. In 2000, Dubin planned and funded a cultural exchange field study between the Haida and Southwest artisans. The exchange, which had some Northwest Coast artist travelling to New Mexico to share their art style and Southwest artist travelling to Haida Gwaii, was intended as contributing research for Dubin's book. Later the data would manifest into a full-blown exhibition in New York of which Dubin was co-curator.

More than 500 individual pieces are being shown in the exhibit. Detailed Chilkat mountain goat woolen blankets are presented next to loom- woven Navajo blankets and Hopi Katsina dolls share space with historic Kwakwaka'wakw bentwood boxes and transformation masks.

While there are obvious differentces in iconography and style between West Coast and Southwestern art, there are also some fundamental similarities, said Navajo jewelry artisan, Jesse Monogya.

"A lot of our spiritual and traditional ways are woven together," he said.

Monongya, son of the late legendary Navajo jeweler Preston Monongya, admitted that while geographic differences may influence the symbolism in art- Southwest artists showing admiration for the sky in their works and Northwest Coast art being influenced by the sea-the traditional and spiritual values are the same.

"We all believe in the Great Spirit. We respect all of our animals," he said.

The exhibit focuses on the important role traditional Indigenous art plays in the emergence of contemporary stylization, as some of art's great masters are acknowledged in the show.

Biographic excerpts of Northwest Coast artists Charles Eden-Shaw, Bill Reid and Robert Davidson are displayed along with samples of their works.

Also on display are the personal narratives and exquisite jewelry of Southwest masters Kenneth Begay, Charles Loloma and Preston Monongya.

According to contemporary Haida artist Christian White, this understanding of older methdologies in the creation of works is part and parcel to being able to exercise and implement a new style.

"We have to understand our traditional work," he said. "Once we're at that stage then we can move on and understand a style within a style."

Like Monongya, White had the opportunity to share his craftsmanship with artists from New Mexico during the exchange project six years ago. Through visiting artist studios and being introduced to Southwest styles, some of White's jewelry now incorporates a new south-of-the border flavor.

Totems to Turquoise will be showing at the Vancouver Museum Oct. 27, 2006 until March 25, 2007, offering one of the last chances to see the collection as a whole. Once the Vancouver show ends, the exhibit will return briefly to the United States and then be dismantled and all artifacts will be returned to their respective museums.