Learn about the work of Bill Reid

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A two-day symposium in Vancouver will give museum and gallery curators, artists, and the general public a chance to explore the life and works of the late Haida artist Bill Reid.

The Legacy of Bill Reid: A Critical Enquiry will be held on Nov. 13 and 14 at the University of British Columbia's First Nations House of Learning.

Regarded as one of the most important Canadian artists of this century, Reid was known for his bronze sculptures, his Haida jewelry, his carvings, his art work, and his writings.

"He was regarded as an important artist of his time because he brought Haida art to the world's attention," said symposium co-ordinator, Karen Duffek. "When he started to look at Haida art, there weren't many Haida artists at that time," she said.

Reid's bronze casting, called the Spirit of Haida Gwaii, "The Black Canoe" a 19-foot-long bronze sculpture, sits in front of the Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C. Another piece, The Jade Canoe , sits in the departure hall of Vancouver's International Airport.

Visitors can also view other Reid sculptures. The Raven and The First Men can be seen at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. The Killer Whale is located at the Vancouver aquarium's Marine Science Centre.

"People are in awe when seeing the sculpture of The Raven and The First Men. It is of a large raven perched on a clam shell, and the first humans are climbing out of the shell" said Duffek. "It brings together a European sculpture tradition and Haida art," she said.

Reid's other achievements include nine honorary degrees from Canadian universities and several awards, including a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, Vancouver's Lifetime Achievement Award and the Architectural Institute of Canada's Allied Arts Medal. In addition, Reid left behind numerous works of exquisite pieces of jewelry, drawings and prints.

He was born in Victoria in 1920. His mother was Haida and his father was Scottish/German. By marrying a non-Native, Reid's mother lost her Aboriginal status so he was raised entirely in a European/North American society.

It was not until he was in his early twenties that Reid got to know his Haida grandfather, Charles Gladstone.

Through his friendship with his grandfather, Reid began a lifelong series of visits to the Queen Charlotte Islands. He gradually began to identify with his mother's people, the Haida.

Reid began a career in radio broadcasting which took him to eastern Canada and on to the airwaves of CBC in Toronto. Inspired by the Haida jewelry that his mother and aunts wore, Reid enrolled in a jewelry-making course there. In 1951 he returned to the West Coast and established himself as designer of contemporary gold, platinum and diamond jewelry. He turned the basement of his home into a workshop where he created bracelets, earrings, rings, brooches and carvings with the structure of the Haida form.

After the death of his grandfather, Reid wrote a piece concerning the Native people of the Northwest Coast. Titled Totems , the piece became a television documentary which was narrated by Reid. The film focused on the salvage of totem poles from abandoned villages on the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Reid went on to write and narrate four other films and from 1967 to 1991 he had nine of his works published.

According to Duffek, Reid donated many of his works for fundraisers for local causes and was one of the most generous and accessible artists.

"He was always open to young artists to help them learn new art techniques," said Duffeck. "Artists worked and studied with Bill Reid while other artists would drop by his studio to visit and get advice from him," she said.

After a 30-year battle with Parkinson's disease, Reid passed away on March 13, 1998. He was 78.

The symposium hopes to bring a critical perspective to Reid's complex legacy.

"He played such an important role in revitalizing Haida art," said Duffeck. "I met him. He was intelligent, interesting and witty. He always had a good joe to tell," she said.

The symposium will be divided into four sessions. Session one will explore Bill Reid's life and his evolution to becoming Haida. Session two will look at the issues Reid raised about the quality and the uniqueness of Native art. Session three will look at Reid's role and contribution in reviving Haida art. Session four will look at the differences of tribal identity and modernist autonomy.

"By looking at the differences of tribal identity and modernist autonomy in Bill Reid's art work, people can ask themselves if they look at his work just as Haida art work or do people look at his work as reaching across different cultures as well?" said Duffek.