Feeding the Inner 'Spirit' with Kwakwaka'wakw Art in Seattle

A Spirit Within by Rande Cook
(Photo: Paul Niemi)

This past Saturday, Steinbrueck Native Gallery in Seattle sponsored a very special cultural event at the Seattle Art Museum. Owners Elizabeth and Matthew Steinbrueck hosted the Copper Maker Dancers, a Kwakwaka'wakw dance, song and drum troup led by Chief Calvin Hunt and his wife Marie.  The group, which hails from Fort Rupert Village in Port Hardy, British Columbia,  also included artist Rande Cook.  Legendary ethnographer and art historian Bill Holm and his wife Marty were honored guests, and took a prominent place onstage amidst the drummers, singers and dancers.

Rande Cook Beats a Drum as the Copper Maker
Dancers Perform Traditional Dances
(Photo: Paul Niemi)

For me, the highlight of the performance was witnessing the dance of the Tso-no-qua or "The Wild Woman of the Woods" mask.  The tale of the woman who combs the shoreline looking for young boys and girls to eat is, perhaps, my favorite in the Northwest Coast story lexicon mostly because of her mystical and dark presence.  Numerous dances, including some very sacred ones, were accompanied by glorious singing and drumming.  The performance culiminated with an invitation to the audience to participate in a group dance onstage.   This was a marvelous opportunity for people from all walks of life to come together and be healed by a sense that we are all one. 

A Member of Copper Maker Dancers Performs
the Dance of Tso-no-qua
(Photo: Paul Niemi)

Afterwards, everyone headed over to the Steinbrueck Native Gallery for the opening of works by Rande Cook in "A Spirit Within."  This exhibit is breathtaking and represents everything lovers of Northwest Coast First Nations art have come to expect.  Cook works in a variety of mediums including jewelry, which are just as captivating as his masks and other carvings.

Kwakwaka'wakw Artist Rande Cook
Speaks to a Collector About His Work in
"A Spirit Within"
(Photo: Paul Niemi)

Cook commented on how Northwest Coast masks mean nothing without the dances and songs that they were created to bring to life.  It was thus fitting and an extraordinary experience from a continuity standpoint to see and feel the dances, songs and music and then view the exhibition.  The exhilaration aroused by the performance filled the gallery show with incredible energy, vibrancy and relevance to what spectators had experienced a couple of hours earlier.

"A Spirit Within" continues through June 10 at Steinbrueck Native Gallery in Seattle. For more information, visit www.steinbruecknativegallery.com.

Thought for the Day...

Just now it occurred to me that someone should write a song "We Have a Facebook Kind of Love."  In today's society, where technology has caused people to lose their innate sense of what intimacy is, it would be very fitting!  Just sayin'...

Thought for the Day...

Here's what just popped into my head, and it's an inevitable life lesson that is helping to guide me into the new chapter of the book that is my life...

There's nothing like the passage of time to teach you that what you once valued is no longer important. Thank God for new goals and keeping us from stagnating. It's both comforting and scary as hell!

'Generation X' Author and Artist Douglas Coupland Headlines Gallery Hop Vancouver 2012

Object Analy­sis Spec­ta­tor Poem (2012) by Judy Radul
at Catriona Jeffries Gallery 

After spending so much time in the American Southwest learning about the diverse art there, it was a treat to go to Vancouver, British Columbia this past weekend to explore some of the city's top galleries for Gallery Hop Vancouver.  The event, organized by the Canadian Art Foundation and Contemporary Art Society of Vancouver, featured expert talks and tours throughout the day.  The gallery roster included visits at Contemporary Art Gallery, a public art tour, Access Gallery in Chinatown, Catriona Jeffries Gallery, and other sites throughout the city.

Gallery Hop Vancouver kicked off with an enlightening talkback with Generation X author and artist Douglas Coupland at the VanCity Theatre in the morning. The day culminated in an early evening launch party for the spring edition of Canadian Art magazine at the new Equinox Project Space east of Downtown Vancouver.  The highlight of the party was having the opportunity to see photographs by Canadian legend Fred Herzog in a retrospective of his stunning work.  Guests nibbled on finger sandwiches and sipped wine while enjoying thoughtful conversation about the day's events.

Author and Artist Douglas Coupland
 reflects on his life and art at VanCity Theatre
(Photo: Paul Niemi)

Spring Edition of Canadian Art Magazine
(Photo: Paul Niemi)

I accompanied one of the official photographers for the event, so I had the opportunity to snap photos of my own that document the richness and beauty of the day. If you were unable to attend, enjoy a video montage of the day here!