November 23, 2024 – May 5, 2025
Curve! Women Carvers on the Northwest Coast
Co-curated by Dana Claxton and Curtis Collins, the Curve! exhibition sheds light on a lesser-explored facet of Northwest Coast art—women’s contributions to the rich tradition of carving wood and argillite.
The exhibition features 127 works of art that include poles, panels, masks, bowls, and other sculptures all intertwined with traditional knowledge. These works will be on loan from public and private collections across Canada and the United States. The exhibition will focus on a selection of carvers active from the 1950s to present day, highlighting the pivotal role of women artists within the larger tradition of indigenous carving along the coast of British Columbia.
Ellen Neel, Freda Diesing, and Doreen Jensen, three iconic Northwest Coast artists, serve as historic context for this exhibition. Their contributions paved the way for subsequent generations of carvers and left an indelible mark on Northwest Coast art. The exhibition will feature Susan Point, Dale Marie Campbell, and Marianne Nicolson, representing a group of highly accomplished senior artists. Marika Echachis Swan, Morgan Asoyuf, Cori Savard, Stephanie Anderson, Veronica Waechter, Arlene Ness, Cherish Alexander, and Melanie Russ represent mid-career/emerging talents that continue to push carving traditions forward.
Published in conjunction with this sweeping exhibition will be a hard-cover book published by Figure 1 in Vancouver, featuring texts by Dana Claxton, Skeena Reece, and Marika Echachis Swan; and interviews by Curtis Collins with Mary Anne Barkhouse and Dale Campbell. The publication will also provide documentation of over 80 years of artistic production alongside full-colour images of work by the 14 featured artists.
1: Dale Marie Campbell, Woman who Brought the Salmon, 2021, alder, abalone and pigment, Private Collection.
2: Freda Diesing, Old Woman with Labret, 1973, alder, cedar bark, hair, abalone shell, and paint, Audain Art Museum Collection, Purchased with funds from the Audain Foundation.
3: Cori Savard, Xiilang (Thunderbird), 2021, yellow cedar, pigment, Private Collection.
4: Marika Swan, Portal to the Other Realms (detail), 2024, ƛatmapt/ yew wood, fish scales, red ochre traded with members of the Upper Similkameen Band, beeswax, and glass beads, Collection of the Artist.
5: Ellen Neel, Totemland, c. 1965, wood, pigment, Private Collection.
