[BCMA] CMA Clip Serv: Pop art gets a new twist

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

Grotesque.  This makes me sad.  
Great advertising campaign though.

To: bcma at lists.vvv.com
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:43:35 -0800
From: bcma at lists.vvv.com
Subject: [BCMA] CMA Clip Serv: Pop art gets a new twist













Pop art gets a new twist




Aboriginal artists' creations based on the iconic Coke bottle will 
be on display during Olympics, and then auctioned




Mark Hume, The Globe and Mail, Friday, January 15, 2010












The idea of a mega-corporation offering up one of the world's most 
famous trademarks - the iconic Coke bottle - as a blank canvas to 
native artists seems like it might have been a tough sell.












But at a press conference yesterday at which representations of Coke 
bottles by four West Coast aboriginal artists were unveiled, Nicola 
Kettlitz said Coca-Cola executives didn't hesitate when the company's 
Olympic project team proposed the pop bottle project.












"It was actually a very easy idea to sell," said Mr. Kettlitz, general 
manager of the project team. 












The idea of asking aboriginal artists to create works based on the 
Coke bottle emerged just as the Beijing Summer Games were 
winding down.












Coca-Cola, the longest running corporate sponsor of the Olympics 
with a track record that goes back to 1928, was looking for a way to 
make a mark in Vancouver.












"We were thinking of ideas of what to do to showcase the diversity in 
this country. We said, how can we unite the [company] icons, because 
the Coca-Cola bottle to us is an almost untouchable icon, with the 
incredible power of aboriginal art," he said.












"We thought, there are some great aboriginal artists in this country. 
Why not give them a different canvas?"












Mr. Kettlitz said 100 aboriginal artists from across Canada responded 
to a request for proposals - and Coca-Cola was bowled over by the 
suggestions for using its bottle as artistic inspiration.












"I was stunned by the creativity, the quality of the proposals," said 
Mr. Kettlitz, whose company has a trademark on the distinctive shape 
of the Coke bottle.












And he was also surprised by the diversity of the concepts artists 
proposed.












"To be honest, we started with the idea of paint only. And then we 
realized that the art form came in so many different forms. There were 
carvings, there were [bottles made from] hides, and we had one bottle 
made from willow branches," he said. "We learned a lot about 
diversity and thought, why not? It enriches the [Coke bottle]




icon to a large degree and it also showcases the great work these 
artists do."












Mr. Kettlitz said the 15 finalists are Inuit, first nations or Métis and 
they come from across Canada, with four from B.C.












Their work will be on display at several venues in Vancouver during 
the Games, and will be auctioned off, with all proceeds going to an 
aboriginal youth fund.












How much does Coca-Cola expect to raise?












"I wish I knew. We have not done this before ... but when I look at the 
quality of the work, there are a lot of collectors out there that would 
love to have unique aboriginal art and the iconic Coke bottle. So I'm 
hoping the number will be big," Mr. Kettlitz said.












The B.C. artists, whose work was unveiled yesterday, are Calvin 
Hunt, Corrine Hunt (who contributed designs for the Olympic 
medals), Garry Oker and Kim Stewart.












Mr. Hunt, a Kwakiutl artist from Fort Rupert village near the north 
end of Vancouver Island, said he was excited to have his proposal 
chosen.












He carved a Coke bottle about two metres tall from a chunk of red 
cedar. The totemic carving features images of a bear, salmon and 
eagle to represent land, sea and sky.












One of the salmon's fins is shaped like a hand.












"That represents friendship, which is kind of like what Coke is," Mr. 
Hunt said.












He agreed there probably has never been a totem quite like his carved 
on the West Coast before.












"I wasn't sure what the other artists were going to do. But I wanted to 
make mine the most traditional [aboriginal] Coke bottle you've ever 
seen - and I think that's the way it came out. I'm really happy with it," 
said Mr. Hunt, who owns The Copper Maker, an art studio and 
gallery in Fort Rupert.












Premier Gordon Campbell and John Furlong, chief executive officer 
of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Olympics, both 
praised Coca-Cola for its innovative art project, saying it helps 
highlight the involvement of aboriginal people in the Games.












"These pieces of work are extraordinary," Mr. Furlong said, 
addressing Mr. Kettlitz.












Tewanee Joseph, CEO of the Four Host First Nations, said the Games 
are providing an unprecedented opportunity for native cultures across 
Canada.












"When you talk about 2010, the spotlight coming on to Vancouver 
and Whistler ... what you will see is a bright shining light on our 
artisans, on our people," he said.












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