Vancouver Art and Artists

"This publication features the work of ten Salish artists from Southwest British Columbia and Washington State in a cross-section of ideas and images that express Salish visions of the land and critiques of cultural appropriation. Some artists have transported classical Salish design principles into the present, while others claim unexplored visual territory with their work and aspire to bring about new understandings of Salish thought and visual language. The principal text is accompanied by essays on the history of Salish practice and on Sencoten language and poetry. Participating artists include Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, John Marston, Luke Marston and Maynard Johnny Jr."--provided by publisher

"Performance embodies knowledge transfer, cultural expression, and intercultural influence. It is a method through which Indigenous people express their relations to land and continuously establish their persistant political authority. But performance is also key to the misrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in settler colonial societies. Against the Current and Into the Light challenges dominant historical narratives of the land now known as Stanley Park, exploring performances in this space from the late nineteenth century to the present. Selena Couture engages with knowledge held in an endangered Indigenous language's place names, methods of orientation in space and time, and conceptions of leadership and respectful visiting. She then critically engages with narratives of Vancouver history created by the city's first archivist, J.S. Matthews through his interest in Lord Stanley's visit to the park in 1889. Matthews organized several public commemorative performances on this land from the 1940s to 1960, resulting in the iconic yet misleading statue of Lord Stanley situated at the park's entrance. Couture places Matthews's efforts at commemoration alongside continuous political interventions by Indigenous people and organizations such as the Native Brotherhood of British Columbia, while also responding to contemporary performances by Indigenous women in Vancouver which present alternative views of history. Using the metaphor of eddies of influence--motions that shape and are shaped by obstacles in their temporal and spatial environments--Against the Current and Into the Light reveals how histories of places have been created, and how they might be understood differently in light of Indigenous resurgence and decolonization."--

"The Salish Weave Collection is a private collection of contemporary Coast Salish art that weaves together the distinctive forms and designs of established and emerging artists. The artists whose works are represented are among those who define and embrace the renaissance of Salish art. While drawing upon traditions and stories of their culture, these artists are also pushing the boundaries of the Salish art form as they explore modern media and techniques. Focusing exclusively on works by contemporary Coast Salish artists, George and Christiane Smyth dream of seeing this unique art with its distinct and traditional forms, recognized and appreciated worldwide in a similar way as Northwest Coast art."--provided by publisher

"By carving, weaving, and painting their stories into ceremonial and utilitarian objects, Coast Salish artists render tangible the words and ideas that have been the architecture of this remarkable Pacific Northwest Coast culture. The Coast Salish tribes have developed a culture that was and still is shared orally, steeped in the ritual and beauty of storytelling and mythology. Infused with centuries of sacred teaching, these accounts hold the secrets to the spiritual, political, social, and economic well-being of tribal life. As a testament to their cultural resilience, increasing numbers of contemporary Coast Salish artists have embraced the new materials that "progress" has bestowed - glass, concrete, and steel - juxtaposing ancient images with modern materials." "Contemporary Coast Salish Art presents the work of twenty artists, whose work ranges from traditional forms such as basketry and weaving to modern glass sculpture. The artists featured here - including Bruce Miller, Marvin Oliver, Shaun Peterson, and Susan Point, the progenitors of this movement - perpetuate and expand their ancestors' traditions through their lifelong commitment to visually interpret and rejoice in all the manifestations of their culture."--BOOK JACKET.