SHI TO SPONSOR LECTURE ON THE EVOLUTION OF NORTHWEST COAST ART
Free event to be offered virtually
Jan. 14, 2021
(Flyer)
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor a free lecture this Tuesday on the evolution of Northwest Coast (NWC) art given by Steve Brown, an independent researcher, author, and artist focused on NWC art traditions for most of his life.
The image that we have of NWC formline art from the late nineteenth century is not what it has always been, wrote Brown, who has been involved in carving projects in Southeast Alaska, British Columbia and Washington State and has authored several well-received books on the subject.
“Looking back to a time before the region was ‘discovered’ by EuroAmericans, formline art appeared very different from what we see today. The essence of the change can be summed up as a significant alteration of the relationship between painted and unpainted design elements, between positive and negative design areas,” Brown wrote.
The talk, which is scheduled at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 19, is part of a lecture series this month that explores the origins and earliest presence of Indigenous populations and cultures in Southeast Alaska from traditional knowledge and various scientific perspectives.
All lectures will be live streamed at 12 pm Alaska time on SHI’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/c/SealaskaHeritageInstitute and available for viewing on YouTube any time after the livestream (no account required).
This program is provided under the Preparing Indigenous Teachers and Administrators for Alaska Schools (PITAAS) program and funded by the Alaska Native Education Program. The series is also offered as a one-credit course through the University of Alaska Southeast. Contact mpjackson2@alaska.edu for more information.
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts social scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.
CONTACT: Amy Fletcher, SHI Media and Publications Director, 907.586.9116, amy.fletcher@sealaska.com.
