The Renaissance of Northwest Coast Art

From 2010 merchandising and architecture to rare historical artifacts, interest and appreciation of Northwest Coast Aboriginal art is on the rise. First Nations artists have created some of the most iconic artworks in British Columbia and the distinctive regional styles can be appreciated in many forms—from masks, paddles, drums and jewellery to paintings, basketry and furniture.

In 1863, Scottish clergyman Robert J. DundasRaven and First Men sculpture by Bill Reid
(Jenn Walton/ Digiwerx Studio) picked up a collection of First Nations objects from a missionary in Old Metlakatla near Prince Rupert. After being passed from generation to generation the objects became unloved curiosities, until the 1970s when his great-grandson read his journals and realized the importance of the collection. In 2006 the collection sold for more than $7 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, setting a record for a Native American art collection.

Once considered no more than primitive trinkets, Northwest Coast art is enjoying a renaissance, says Rob Austdone who runs the Vancouver-based Austdone Gallery. Rob developed his passion for Aboriginal art during his childhood when he travelled to First Nations communities with his bush pilot father.

“Since we started in 2000, interest in Northwest Coast art has grown to a different level. We are seeing a lot more articles being published around the world, more museums are dealing with Northwest Coast art and people’s awareness is definitely growing with the Olympics,” he says. 

Bill Reid touches the pole he created for his
mother’s village at Skidegate in Haida
Gwaii, 1978 (George MacDonald)The 2010 Olympic art program will provide even more exposure to Northwest Coast art. The organizing committee has set aside $2 million to commission new works from Aboriginal artists from BC and across Canada and it will go on permanent display at the 15 Olympic and Paralympic venues.

For centuries the First Nations of the Northwest Coast have produced decorated household objects including baskets, spoons and bentwood boxes alongside ceremonial items such as masks and totem poles. Although different nations and individual clans within nations had their own traditions and styles, the art shared many common themes.

Bold, flowing, symmetrical designs with the heavy use of red, black and sometimes yellow are a common feature. Ovoids, U-forms and S-forms are used to create stylized representations of local wildlife such as killer whales, bears, beaver, mink and eagles. Mythical creatures such as Thunderbird and Raven relating to the myths and legends of different First Nations bands are bought to life in carvings and paintings.

For visitors to the region, the plethora of galleries, museums, studios and open spaces offers unparalleled opportunities to see the art up close and even start their own collections. 

The late Bill Reid is one of the artists credited with sparking the revival of Aboriginal art and if you pass through Vancouver, it’s hard to miss his genius. Walk through Vancouver airport and there’s The Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe—Haida Rattle, early 1900s
(Pegasus Gallery of
Canadian Art)perhaps the most famous of his monumental art works. Visit Vancouver Aquarium and his bronze killer whale sculpture known as the Chief of the Undersea World rises gracefully in front of the visitor entrance. Head down to the Museum of Anthropology at UBC and The Raven and the First Men cedar carving awaits inside, while some of his totem poles grace the outdoor Haida House complex.  Reid’s signature works have gained iconic status and some of his sculptural showstoppers can be found on the back of the $20 bill.

This past June, the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art opened in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Not only is the gallery a memorial to Bill Reid but also a showcase for the work of other Northwest Coast artists. Reid’s widow, Dr Martine Reid says many visitors are amazed by the scope of his work. “People are surprised to discover all the pieces that he made because the general public remembers these iconic pictures and objects,” she says. “But he was an artist who was never content just doing the same things. He always had to move ahead, break new ground and new boundaries, meet challenges and take new risks.” 

Reid began his artistic life as a contemporary jeweller but by the time of his death in 1998 he was also revered as a carver, sculptor, painter and storyteller. His Haida ancestry inspired him to assimilate and reinterpret the styles and conventions of traditional Haida art and incorporate it into his contemporary pieces, which ranged from gold and silver jewellery to totem poles, prints, and wire and bronze sculpture.  

The Haida were great seafarers and boat builders and they produced huge, decorated canoes from single red cedar trunks. Reid built and carved several canoes including a 15-m behemoth for Expo 86. The Raven, which is a one of his family crests, is a recurring theme in his work and the Jade Canoe features a collection of characters from Haida mythology.

Ian Sigvaldason, owner of the Pegasus Gallery of Canadian Art on Saltspring Island, says as the art becomes more popular, buyers are becoming more discerning. “There’s definitely been an upswing interest in the high-end historic pieces,” he says.

To learn more about the legends, styles and differing First Nations areas of expertise, head to the Museum of Anthropology, where admin and faculty staff are often on-site to provide ethnographic and anthropological information.

Bill Reid once said, “I think the Northwest Coast style of art is an absolutely unique product, one of the crowning achievements of the whole human experience. I just don’t want the whole thing swept under the carpet without someone paying attention to it.”  

Thanks to his efforts and that of his contemporaries there is certainly no danger of that.