Category Archives: Events

Jaalen Edenshaw: The Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole

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Jaalen Edenshaw: The Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole

                                    By: Tara Chloe Dusanj

The Museum of Anthropology (UBC) is very pleased to welcome Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole carver: Jaalen Edenshaw. Jaalen will facilitate a rich, visual presentation regarding his work on the Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole. The disucssion will take place in the Great Hall at MOA on Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 7:00pm.

The Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole is 42- foot monument being carved to honour the 20th anniversary of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement. This agreement is the hallmark of a groundbreaking, cooperative management relationship between the Government of Canada and the Haida Nation. Currently an equal number of Haida Nation and Government of Canada representatives manage this special area through the Archipelago Management Board. Gwaii Haanas is renowned throughout the world as a model for governing cultural and natural resources.

Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole carver, Jaalen Edenshaw,  highlights the interconnections between Land, Sea and People in the Haida Gwaii archipelago. In the Haida Language, Gwaii Haanas means: “Islands of Beauty.” The Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve (established in 2010) is the only place in the world which is managed from mountain top to sea floor. Gwaii Haanas has been rated by the National Geographic Traveller as the number one park destination in North America. The protection of this beautiful space is kept by the Haida Gwaii Watchmen Program and Parks Canada Work.  The land and sea of this remarkable place are protected as: A Haida Heritage Site, a National Park Reserve and a National Marine Conservation Area Reserve. The cooperative management agreement was reached after the turmoil of a blockade. After five years of negotiations regarding the Gwaii Haanas, it is now a model for conservation and the governing of natural resources in the world.

  The Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole tells a story regarding thousands of years, places, people, the past, the present and the deep interconnection between the land, the sea and the people who take pride in this unique environment. Jaalen Edenshaw incorporates images in his design, which display two Haida moieties. The strength of their relationship is represented by several people standing together to reflect those who waited in line at Lyell. There is an eagle at the tope, and a sculpin at the bottom in order to acknowledge the unprecedented agreement between Canada and the Haida Nation. This is an agreement which allows Gwaii Haanas to be managed from mountain top to sea floor. The incorporated image of a visitor corresponds to the idea that those who come from far away are given the chance to experience the spectrum from ancient, oral histories to modern day archaeological studies. This ideology is indicated through the representation of the grizzly bear and dog images, but also through the recent design modification (that took place after the October 2012 earthquake), which include an image of Scared-One-Standing-and-Moving who is draped in the skin of a Wasgo (sea wolf) which enhanced his powers in the epic battle to hold up the Haida Gwaii and is meant to remind us that we are all united. The pole will be visible from a distance at sea. It will complement the thriving feature of the long house, the accessible old growth, the culturally modified trees, the salmon run and the cultural history, which attributes to the speciality of Gwaii Haanas.

The red cedar pole will be raised in Gwaii Haanas on August 15, 2013, which will be followed by a feast in Skidegate on August 17th. 2013. This also marks the 25th anniversary of the South Moresby Agreement, a commitment, which was made by the federal and provincial governments to protect the natural and marine resources of Gwaii Haanas. Additionally, it will be the first pole raised in the Gwaii Haanas region in over 130 years and will serve to build a connection with the other historic poles that are currently standing in the villages of Sgang Gwayy (also known as the UNESCO World Heritage Site).

A six-person committee selected Jaalen Edenshaw as the Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole carver, whom asked Tyler York to be his assistant on the project. Jaalen was a member of the Ts’aahi- Eagle Clan. He was the head carver of the 36-foot ‘Cormorant’ pole created for the village of Old Masset in 2009. The following year, Jaalen and his brother, Gwaai, work together on the 43-foot ‘Two Brothers” pole, which was raised in Jasper National Park, Alberta. His work is highly inspired by the traditions of the Haida culture: their stories, the natural world of Haida Gwaii, and most importantly the Haida Language. Jaalen is very invested in preserving Haida language. He has contributed to this cause through his co-production of the play “Sinxii Ganguu”, which is an old story adapted and performed in the Haida language. Jaalen is also aware of the need to engage the younger generation with their heritage. He is apart of a language medusa team, which engages youth with language revitalizations. 

Join us for this historical, culturally rich and visual presentation on March 5, at 7PM in the Great Hall. Help honour the past by celebrating the future of Gwaii Haanas.

The event is free with general admission. Admission into the Museum is free for all current UBC students, staff and faculty.


 

 

Windows of The World: Winter Art Market at MOA!

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Holiday Market
A Winter Art Market at MOA
November 19- – December 23, 2012
This year MOA’s annual Windows on the World Winter Art Market celebrates world arts and cultures with Clay, Cloth and Silver, an eclectic array of handmade goods chosen to reflect the spirit of MOA’s extensive collections. This year there is a special emphasis on BC ceramics, and the arts and crafts of Peru.
The Museum Shop features a fine selection of original Northwest Coast jewellery, masks, carvings, baskets, and limited edition prints. Visit us online or onsite to choose from an eclectic array of clothing, gifts and collectibles inspired by Museum exhibits, or purchase a wide variety of books with topics related to Northwest Coast anthropology, art, and contemporary issues.
The Museum of Anthropology also has its own line of giftware designed by Northwest Coast artists Lyle Wilson (Haisla), Susan Point (Coast Salish), Vernon Brown (Blackfish Clan, Kitkatla, BC), and Shawn Hunt (Heiltsuk).
Sneak Preview
Monday, November 19, 11am-­?5pm

UBC faculty, staff, students, and MOA volunteers receive a 20% discount on all purchases during our popular Sneak Preview. Members are welcome, too!

Members’ Night
Monday, November 19, 6-­?9pm
Join us for a complementary drink, refreshments, live music, and prize draw. Meet our special guests, Peruvian weavers Lucia Andrade de Laureano and Clelia Margarita Ricra Ricaldi. Explore the Galleries and preview the Spring line of Uqllu fashion accessories in vibrant colours of hand-­?woven Alpaca. Take advantage of your 20% discount Members’ Week discount on Opening Night for the very best selection of one-­?of-­?a-­?kind gifts.

Not a MOA member? Memberships available at the door!

Members’ Week
November 19-­?25
Members receive a special 20% discount this week only!
Lucia and Clelia will demonstrate Alpaca weaving at MOA from November 19-­?23. Shop for luxurious scarves, shawls, and wraps made by weavers from Lucia and Clelia’s villages. Check the MOA website for times.

Members’ Week Special – 30% discount on signed copies of Luminescence: The Silver of Peru and The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, MOA’s award-­?winning publication.

MOA Members are invited to shop and receive members’ discounts at the Vancouver Aquarium (December 10-­?16), TELUS World of Science (November 17-­?24), and Shop in the Garden at the UBC Botanical Garden (December 1 and 5) during their members’ events.

Museum Shop products can be shipped to any destination. We are also pleased to assist with conference, corporate, or wedding gifts.

All proceeds from the Shop fund museum acquisitions, publications, and public programs.

Not sure what to buy for that perfect holiday gift?
Give a MOA gift card!

For More information: http://www.moa.ubc.ca/shop/world2012.php

Queries:
Museum Shop Manager
Tel: 604.822.3440
Fax: 604.822.2974
Email: shop@moa.ubc.ca

Pleased to Meet You: Introductions by Gwyn Hanssen Pigott.

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The Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at UBC explores compelling new pairings of timeless treasures in its new boundary-breaking exhibition, Pleased to Meet You: Introductions by Gwyn Hanssen Pigott. This exhibition will be on display at MOA from November 3, 2012 to March 24, 2013.

Join us for the Opening Reception this Friday, November 2, from 7-9 pm at MOA.

 Pleased to Meet You: Introductions by Gwyn Hanssen Pigott. A first for MOA, is an exhibition that examines the new aesthetic perspectives that develop when artifacts are removed from their historical and cultural contexts, and re-assembled into groupings based solely on colour, form, shape, and pattern.

In her own celebrated work, Australian Ceramic Artist Gwyn Hanssen Pigott nudges pale-glazed tableware forms into still-life groupings of bowls, bottles and cups. Individually familiar, the juxtaposed forms speak to one another and to the observer with surprising emotion. In this exhibition, Ms. Pigott has selected objects from the MOA’s permanent, world-wide collection and re-assembled them with her own works, in surprising new relationships. The “introductions” have been made based on colour, form, and pattern, often featuring objects that are normally never displayed together. The pieces are not placed within any historical or cultural context; rather they are grouped to illustrate that, regardless of social or cultural background, makers share similar aesthetic choices when making decisions about the creation of their work.

Gwyn Hanssen Pigott is recognized as one of Australia’s most significant contemporary artists and has exhibited extensively in Australia, American, Europe and Asia. In 2002 she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the arts as a ceramic artist and teacher. Hanssen Pigott has developed an exhibit that celebrates the pure, lighthearted beauty that accompanies the interrelationships between form, shape, colour, and pattern.

The exhibition is curated by MOA curator Dr. Caroll E. Mayer and Susan Jefferies, past curator of Modern and Contemporary Ceramics at the Gardiner Museum, Toronto. It is free with general admission, and general admission is free for all current UBC students, Faculty, and staff.

MOA is closed the public on Mondays, but open late on Tuesdays from: 10 am – 9 pm, and Wednesday- Sunday: 10 am – 5 pm

Luminescence: The Silver of Peru, Oct 5-Dec 16, 2012

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Bursts of bright light danced across the royal courts, ceremonies, processions and battlefields of pre-Columbian Peru. Reflected by the gold and silver of crowns, jewelry, regalia, costumes and banners, such luminosity proclaimed the divine power and authority of Andean priests and rulers for nearly 2,500 years. Despite the 16th century Spanish Conquest, the importance of the reflective properties, and divine qualities traditionally associated with gold and silver, were not forgotten. New techniques were developed to satisfy the novel demands of the Catholic Church and colonial elite. Later, Peruvian Independence inaugurated a revival of the indigenous use of silver, and the introduction of a new style of silverware celebrating the country’s distinct flora and fauna.

Luminescence: the Silver of Perú traces the long history of silverwork and the fascination with the metal’s divine and luminescent qualities. It will display pre-Columbian works to those made by contemporary artists, including national treasures seldom seen outside of Peru. The exhibition is curated by MOA Director Dr. Anthony Shelton, and made possible through the generous support of the Pan American Silver Corp. and the Patronato Plata del Peru.

This exhibition is produced by the UBC Museum of Anthropology and is free upon general admission.

Things Left Behind

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Things Left Behind will premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival on:

Friday, September 28, 6:15 pm, Granville #1
Monday, October 1, 12:20 pm, Granville #1
Friday, October 12, 9:30 pm, Granville #1
Things Left Behind is a new film by Linda Hoaglund that explores the transformative power of Hiroshima–the first major international art exhibit devoted to the atomic bomb. The film features footage of the exhibition installation at MOA. It weaves the 48 exhibited photographs, Ishiuchi’s creative process, and the impact her images have upon visitors to access and recast historical memory.