[BCMA] New Exhibition: Bill Reid and the Haida Canoe

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

Presents:

Bill Reid and the Haida Canoe
  
Bill Reid and the Haida Canoe, opened to the public at the Bill Reid Gallery
of Northwest Coast Art, Wednesday, June 22, 2011. The exhibition conveys the
pivotal role of the canoe in Northwest Coast art, cultures and communities.
The visitor experiences the revival of canoe building and paddling along the
coast and beyond.
 
Through vivid works of renowned photographers Phil Hersee and Robert
Semeniuk, and sketches by Bill Reid, all shown for the first time, the
exhibition considers the canoe as art, as a symbol of identity and
community, and as a metaphor for Reid¹s creative journey.  Dr. Martine Reid,
exhibition curator explains, ³Although the archetypal icon of Northwest
Coast culture has become the totem pole, a far more appropriate candidate
for the position would be the sea-going cedar canoe, upon which in a large
measure, the unique character of coastal lifestyle was built.²
 
Bill Reid was in awe of the elegant traditional Northern-style sea-going
canoe and what it represents visually, symbolically, and culturally. To him,
the canoe was more than a means of transportation; it was art. Reid, was
convinced that the canoe played a generic role in the evolution of Northwest
Coast art. In his words, ³Western art starts with the figure ­ West Coast
Indian art starts with the canoe.²
 
The exhibition traces four distinct phases during which the canoe played a
critical role in Bill Reid¹s life:
* The creation of Lootaas (Wave Eater)
* The epic journey 950 kilometers home to Haida Gwaii
* The international journey up the Seine to Paris
* The final journeys ­ the creation of the Spirit of Haida Gwaii and Reid¹s
last journey in Lootaas to his burial site.
 
The exhibition runs through January 8, 2012 at the Bill Reid Gallery of
Northwest Coast Art.  There will be several public programs to highlight
various aspects of canoe culture. The first will feature traditional canoe
songs and drumming at 7:00pm on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at the Bill Reid
Gallery of Northwest Coast Art at 639 Hornby Street, Vancouver.
 
The exhibition will travel to the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough,
Ontario in 2012.
 
For further information contact:

Paula Fairweather
Email: pfairweather at billreidgallery.ca
Tel: 604.682.3455 x222

-- 
Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
639 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 2G3
T  604.682.3455
F  604.682.3310
www.billreidgallery.ca

Gallery Hours: Wed ­ Sun, 11am ­ 5pm

Feature Exhibition: Bill Reid and the Haida Canoe - June 22, 2011 ­ January
8, 2011

Follow us on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/billreidgallery

The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art is an initiative of the Bill
Reid 
Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization.


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