“Carving was traditionally a male practice and to a certain extent it remains a male-dominated practice,” Collins says in an interview with Stir. “During the post-war period, that’s when we see the emergence of women carvers, so this show really examines what I would refer to as the contemporary tradition of Indigenous women up and down the coast. Women were traditionally more involved in weaving whether it was woven hats or blankets, but this movement by these artists that are featured really strikes a new moment in Indigenous art history on the coast. We both find that a really fascinating prospect.”
Ellen Neel (1916-1966), Freda Diesing (1925-2002), and Doreen Jensen (1933-2009) are three iconic artists of the Northwest Coast who serve as historic context for the show. Their trailblazing work paved the way for subsequent generations of carvers. Neel, a Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw artist from Alert Bay, was the first woman in Canada to be recognized for carving totem poles professionally. Diesing, a revered Haida artist from Prince Rupert, studied at the Vancouver School of Art and the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Art and became a mentor to icons like Robert Davidson and Dempsey Bob. Jensen, a Gitxsan artist of the Fireweed Clan, was born in Kispiox near Hazelton and was known for her advocacy in promoting Indigenous art and revitalizing traditional practices.
The exhibition features artworks by Susan Point, a descendent of the Musqueam peoples; Tahltan-Tlinget artist Dale Marie Campbell; and Marianne Nicolson of the Musgamakw Dza-wada’enuxw First Nation, who together represent accomplished senior artists. Marika Echachis Swan, who is of Tla-o-qui-aht, Nuu-chah-nulth, Irish, and Scottish descent; Morgan Asoyuf, who is a member of the Ts’msyen Eagle Clan; Haida member Cori Savard; Stephanie Anderson, who is of the Wit’suwit’en Nation; Veronica Waechter, who is of Gitxsan and European settler descent; Arlene Ness, who is of Wilp Tsi Basaa-Git Luxhl Lim Het’Wit; Cherish Alexander, whose home community is Gitwangak; and Haida artist Melanie Russ are mid-career and emerging artists in the show who continue to push the realm of carving forward.
