Exploring Northwest Coast Art
- Event Date: Saturday, April 2, 2005
- Time: 2:00 pm (CST)
- Location: Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL
- Cost: Free Admission
A lecture by Marie Mauzé
George A. Miller Endowment Visiting Professor (UIUC)
Senior Researcher, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Anthropologie Sociale, Paris
The Native American Northwest Coast culture area stretches for about 1,500 miles from northeastern Alaska to the Columbia River. Best and most commonly identified by the monumental totem poles of the Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian and Kwakwaka'wakw peoples, Northwest coast art is closely tied to mythology, social organization and ceremonial activities. Distinctive tribal styles in weaving, basketry, painting and sculpture have been analyzed by anthropologists and art historians. Very much alive today, Northwest Coast art sees the emergence of a generation of artists who attempt to reconcile tradition and modernity.